Storytellers
by Paradigm of Writing
Summary: Roses are red. Violets are blue. I have a secret to tell, and you do too. Don't worry, there's nothing to hide. There's always a story behind everything in life. Tell it if you dare, you might just be alright. You're damned if you do, damned if you don't. Tell it, or wish everything you know goodbye.
1. (1): Marth

**Hello everyone, it's Paradigm of Writing here with something I never thought I'd reemerge and do. Anyone remember an old piece of mine earlier this year called Storytellers? It's okay if you don't, not many people do. It was a 6 parter story of a group of adults telling a story around a campfire, each making their own snippet of the tale and ending wherever- featuring Marth, Samus, Zelda, Pit, Ness, and Lucina right? Yep! I'm redoing it because for some reason from March-June, I just deleted and deleted stuff off my page like nobody's business. I'd start something, scrap it, and never go back to it. Luckily for me, a few of my pieces have been completed since then like Policies in Detention, and Engraved in Stone, soon joined by Infernum! So, I'm taking this back up and doing it again.**

 **If you were here to read it before I deleted it, you'd remember how I did this where it was my author's note at the top, the italics session of the characters in the real world, the regular format session where they'd be having the 'story' they're telling play out, then back to the italics, and my closing author's note. It's a story, within a story- so wrap your head around it more as this goes on. I don't know a better way to differentiate the sections. Each part that the main characters tell have their own names too, so don't get confused. Here we go!**

* * *

 _They were all late, again. Fifth time in a row too. However, that didn't really bother him; he had half expected it knowing his friends. What concerned him more was the fact that it was going to get cold soon; the makeshift fire in front of him probably wasn't going to be much help when that time came around. Marth kept his eyes focused on the flames sprouting out of the wooden supplier, cardinal and sunset fire licking the air and trying to grow higher and higher. He sighed, and checked his watch for the umpteenth time that evening. 11:55 P.M. Jeez, their story was going to run for quite a long time. That is, if everyone decided to show up._

 _He leaned back, deciding that his fire was incompetent to hold his interest. Marth took his attention elsewhere, to the stars. Orion the Hunter, the Little Dipper, Polaris, constellations of light, twinkling orbs of fiery gas that'd be much stronger than his measly oven. He half wished that the tales of the stars joined him and became his companions instead. He could imagine them perfectly, Artemis and Apollo coming to life, dancing in dazzling moonlight as Orion arrived and an archery battle would take place. Streams of halcyon, bolts of silver, hardened lines of bronze, each would blend into a blur as imaginary arrows embedded into invisible targets..._

 _He was getting ahead of himself, rather too far for his liking. Marth blinked, shaking his head. "I'm crazy..." he said aloud, although he knew that no one would hear him. "I'm sitting here dreaming that the stars would come to life! Although it's not on the most bizarre things I've dreamt of..." He sighed. After all, it was just a story, right? They couldn't possibly be true?_

 _The crackling of the wood seemed to match the roar in his heart. Ever since he could talk, Marth was fascinated with the art of stories. Joining the drama department at the age of seven, it was one way for him to release his stress and let his creative side feel free for once. Euphoria couldn't describe the feeling Marth would feel on stage. Soon, he found that there was a group of people in his neighborhood that would spend one day a year, normally during the summer, out in the woods and tell stories. They had an odd pattern to how they did it, and it interested him. He was welcomed with open arms. After a few years of sitting by and joining in when asked, he was given the opportunity to lead the group only known as the Storytellers. But, every time he called for a meeting, he'd be left high and dry by the very ones he was friends with. Always late. He wondered how his friends ever kept jobs if they sucked at being punctual._

 _"You know, I have to agree with you Marth. Dreaming of stars coming to life isn't the craziest thing you did. I'd have to say that nearly blowing up the Santa Monica Pier with a firework was the most batshit insane thing you've ever done." a second voice said, replying to Marth's statement he had made earlier._

 _Marth smiled warmly when he saw the sepia hair of Zelda Ryder emerge from the trees. "Good to see you actually made an effort of being here. You do realize you're nearly three hours late, right? We were supposed to start at nine, not midnight."_

 _"I'm fully aware, thank you." Zelda smirked, sitting across from him._

 _If you were to describe Zelda Ryder in three words or less, you wouldn't be able to. Her light and inviting mahogany hair was in a simple braid that rested calmly on her right shoulder. From Marth's spot, across the dark void of air, two cerulean eyes flashed in the pitch black. A simple low cut tank top with faded out jeans was all she wore, much less than Marth's blue jacket, jeans, t-shirt and gloves. A moment of silence let Zelda release a yawn, signaling that maybe staying up into the wee hours of the morning wouldn't be the best for her state of mind._

 _"How are you?" Marth asked, taking the route of a gentleman._

 _"Fine, thank you. I'm sorry about being late. Huge traffic jam down near the fork on 9th and 14th. I have a feeling Pit caused that." Zelda answered._

 _Marth laughed, causing Zelda to smile. He felt accomplished for a minute, as she rarely even laughed at a lot. For someone who could sprout jokes like it was nothing, she didn't have the best sense of humor directed back at her. "What have you been doing?"_

 _"The usual. School took a nosedive when our principal was arrested for owning nearly eighty unlicensed firearms in his house. Never thought he was that type of guy to harbor illegal items without getting the permission to do so. Job is rather boring right now, because summer means everyone wants ice cream, not coffee."_

 _"Sounds tough."_

 _"Very," she rolled her eyes. "But, you must have something crawling up your sleeve, right? The elusive and enigmatic Marth Lowell has to."_

 _"I'm not that enigmatic you know," he corrected her. "But I've been taking time off of my electrician job to get a degree in forensics."_

 _"So you wish to be a cop?"_

 _"Not that. Detective won't work either."_

 _"Then what?"_

 _"Obviously I wish to be a forensic scientist."_

 _"Oh don't use that term, Lowell. Zelda won't know what that means. Remember Marth, she doesn't understand large words."_

 _Zelda paused her reply, and eyes closed shut. Breathing slowly, she smiled grimly. "Hello, Samus."_

 _"Hello, Marth." Samus greeted, completely ignoring Zelda._

 _The confident business owner of one of the most successful restaurant chains in California took her seat on the damp mossy ground a spot away from Marth, still keeping her distance from Zelda. Although he did not know most of the details, what Marth had gotten from Pit a long time ago was that the two girls had been working on a project together and then there was a falling out. Both still attended the fantasy sessions, but never spoke more than two words to each other._

 _Samus's blonde hair was curly and down, the second brightest thing in the vicinity, only trumped by the fire of course. The tips of her swirls were dyed magnificent red, seemingly enough making her hair look as if it'd been dipped in blood. She must've come from work, for she still wore her dress from earlier in the day- an elegant eggplant skirt that went down to her knees with a zipper in the back. More silence followed the newcomer's arrival._

 _Zelda pursed her lips. "Marth was just telling me that he may take time off to become a forensic-"_

 _"I heard," Samus cut her off. "Thanks, Ryder, but didn't you hear me a moment ago? I heard the whole conversation due to my snarky jab at your intelligence."_

 _"Well, I'm glad you were listening." Marth said, hoping to intervene before the claws came out and hair went flying everywhere. Not that he didn't like a good fight, with two girls no less, but the storytelling nights were meant to be peaceful. Well, as peaceful as they could get with his friends._

 _"I wish I had an excuse for being late," Samus directed her words at Marth, but she kept on staring at Zelda with fury in her eyes. "I just thought it'd be interesting to arrive late."_

 _"Looks like your plan didn't work," Zelda gruffed. "I got here only a minute ago. All of us decided to take our sweet time, and Marth is suffering here."_

 _"You blamed it on the traffic. That makes you look worse than you already are."_

 _"Lay off of me!"_

 _"You set yourself up for it!"_

 _"Ladies! Good god, this isn't Monday Night Raw, now is it," Marth yelled, frantically waving his hands back and forth. "Calm the hell down, both of you. Or, if I feel so inclined, I'll have both of you go back home and wait again till next year. I don't know what happened between you two all those years ago, but you're supposed to leave all of that at your house when you're here. You both have known the rules longer than I do."_

 _That shut the both of them up, although in his mind, he knew that the night long truce was just that, only for a night. As soon as the restraints would be let go, the cats would go at each other again._

 _A simple airy laugh came from the trees, one that sounded rather amused by the spectacle in front of them. Pit Icarus bounded down from his hiding spot in the bushes and camped a spot right between Zelda and Samus, cutting off their bickering rather efficiently. The other three were rather taken aback by the sudden appearance of their fourth and oldest member of the Storytellers group._

 _"Miss me?" Pit asked, bouncing up and down rather childish._

 _"Certainly!" Zelda said happily, clasping her hands together._

 _"Not." Samus rolled her eyes._

 _Pit stuck out his tongue. "Good to see you too Samus. How's the business going?"_

 _"Great, thank you for asking. I guess you do actually know manners, unlike others..." her gaze landed on Zelda in a totally non conspicuous manner._

 _Marth frowned. "You look different Pit. What'd ya change this time around?"_

 _The male smiled. "I decided to take on working out."_

 _Pit Icarus, at the age of twenty-one was known for having boundless energy and a spirit that never slept. With stunning mahogany hair, and chilling diamond eyes, any person that passed him up was either blind, insane, or both. Although not normally stating a general preference to whom he liked to date, the guy was known to have dated both guys and girls turning his schooling years. After graduating from college in only three years, he took the daunting task of becoming a pilot. Last year, he had literally landed his plane in the gale of the wood where the Storytellers had decided to meet up._

 _Marth quietly observed his friend, seeing how he truly did look much muscular than last. Pit's dark hair seemed even darker in the haunting glow of the fire, his eyes dazzling a dangerous blue. A black leather jacket was thrown over his shoulders, jeans covering his legs. Seeing that he was being looked at, Pit turned around to show the other three the back of his jacket. A pair of white wings were delicately painted on the material, the detail to the picture was phenomenal._

 _"What happened to your cute glasses look with the nerdy outfits?" Zelda asked._

 _Pit stuck his tongue out for the second time in two minutes. "I grew out of that."_

 _"Life seems to be treating you well enough," Samus commented. "You seem happy."_

 _"Well, that's because I'm seeing someone."_

 _"Who is it?" Marth questioned. He couldn't help himself. No matter how cute or adorable Pit looked, he was still a general annoyance to all so the fact that he had someone hooked around his finger was surprising._

 _"I'd rather not say," Pit cautiously answered. "He doesn't want too much revealed right now as our relationship is a secret."_

 _"Secret relationship?" Zelda echoed._

 _"Hold up. He?" Samus clarified at the same time._

 _"Yeah. I'm dating a dude right now. Problem with it?"_

 _"Not at all," Marth said hurriedly. He tried changing the conversation. "Have you talked to Lucina, Peach, Ness, or Roy?"_

 _"I managed to get ahold of Roy. He will not be joining us tonight. Even though we're here during summer, he's still back at school. Something about needing more hours in an English class or something. We'll be Roy-less this time around." Pit said._

 _"So, you have no idea if Lucina or Ness are going to be here?" Marth reiterated Pit's comment._

 _"He doesn't have a clue, but I do," a fifth voice piped up. "I'm here Marth. A person you can now check off of your list."_

 _Everyone's head turned in complete and to never be repeated unison to see Lucina Weathers, a rather infamous member of the group, standing up against a tree with her car keys twirling around her thumb. The latest member to join seemed annoyed, it showed on her face. Blue hair, although darker than Marth's was pulled back in a simple ponytail, a cinnamon colored coat thrown over her shoulders, underneath that a plain yet elegant aquamarine shirt. The fire made her hazel eyes blaze in a fiery retribution, causing Pit to shudder. She looked powerful. Lucina sat down next to Zelda and Marth, making the circle in clockwise position go Marth, Lucina, Zelda, Pit, Samus, then Marth again._

 _"Good to see you." Marth greeted warmly, throwing his arms around the girl in a hug._

 _"Oh please, save the condolences till we leave," Lucina said. "We don't have time to get too sappy, do we?"_

 _"That depends," Pit chuckled. "If Ness doesn't show up soon, you may be in for a lot of sap."_

 _"I talked to Ness about five minutes ago. He got released from work roughly thirty minutes ago, but downtown is crazy with that jam-" Lucina started._

 _"I told you that the jam would hold us up." Zelda snarked to Samus. Samus replied by throwing mulch in the former's face._

 _Lucina pretended not to notice the silly games. "Ness will be here in maybe forty minutes give or take. He hates to be late, but he'll gladly step in whenever he arrives. If he's forced to finish the story with little to no knowledge of how it's supposed to go, so be it."_

 _"His very words exactly?" Marth asked._

 _"Well, of course not. I simply condensed it. He talked for almost ten minutes straight. I don't think you'd be interested in his love life, would you?"_

 _"He's just like me then!" Pit exclaimed._

 _"Wonderful," Samus muttered. "That's exactly what we need."_

 _"Can you stop laying into everyone? It's getting annoying." Zelda defended the pilot._

 _"The only person I see getting annoyed is you. If everyone else had a problem with it, they'd have told me by now." Samus shot back coolly. The two ladies started bickering again, but Marth decided to not bother himself with it. Pit unfortunately sat in the middle of the two of them, but his decision was his decision. It was almost comical watching the pilot's head swivel back and forth to look at the person talking. His face was bright red._

 _Lucina leaned into Marth's personal space. "I don't remember it being this bad..."_

 _"So you actually have an idea of what's going on?"_

 _"Rumor has it that Zelda stole Samus's boyfriend, and to get back at her, Samus sabotaged Zelda's birthday party that year."_

 _"Sabotaged? I would call it enhancing!" Samus cried._

 _"Yeah, right," Zelda snorted. "First off, you didn't even get an invitation. Secondly, since you weren't invited... coming uninvited is trespassing. Thirdly, you lit my entire cake on fire, which almost burned down my house, which equates to arson. Fourthly, you and I brawled in the grass, and you gave me a black eye. That's assault. Fifthly, Ike broke up with me and ran off somewhere else in the country because apparently I was too crazy for him!"_

 _"You are crazy." Samus said._

 _"And you're a bitch!"_

 _Pit gasped. Marth rose an eyebrow. It was unlike Zelda to cuss, even at Samus. Perhaps all of the kept in anger wanted to unleash itself in a tide of pure evil. Samus was speechless, and Zelda turned scarlet. She put her face in her hands and sighed deeply. Quiet overtook the campfire, leaving the crickets and fire to make their noise. In what almost seemed like a millennia, Marth dared to speak._

 _"Well, I tried administering a pact, but I guess that didn't last long, did it?"_

 _"You've got that right." Pit smirked._

 _"Just slap both of them upside the head," Lucina suggested. "That always seems to work."_

 _Zelda pushed Lucina over lightly, giggling. "Maybe, it could loosen the few screws in my head."_

 _Samus opened her mouth to reply, but realized all she had was negativity in her words so she shut it. Lucina's phone vibrated, meaning she got a text message._

 _"Who is it?" Marth asked._

 _"It's Ness."_

 _"Well, what's it say?" Pit yelped, nearly jumping over Zelda and the fire to see the screen._

 _Lucina recoiled, holding her phone protectively. "I'm going to read it aloud, jeez Icarus back down. You're like a damn dog let off the leash."_

 _Pit made himself feel small. "Sorry..." he whispered. Out of the entire group, he was the one who still acted like a two year-old._

 _Lucina scrolled through the message. "Bluntly, it means what I said earlier. Ness won't be here for another half hour or so. I guess we better get started."_

 _"That doesn't sound half bad..." Samus said._

 _Marth clasped his hands together, sighing in relief. "Man, I was waiting for this moment all year. So, welcome back again everyone. We are on our tenth Storytellers year, right?"_

 _"Thirteenth, actually." Pit corrected._

 _"Oh yippee for us," Zelda replied sarcastically. "Unlucky thirteen!"_

 _"You actually believe in that?" Lucina asked, astonished._

 _"It's the easiest thing to believe in," Zelda answered. "Much easier to believe that than religion."_

 _Marth shrugged. "Wonderful. That's not important however. What is important though, is that like Pit rudely corrected is we've been doing this for thirteen years now. I joined, what, six years ago? Whenever that time was, you guys told me of the most ridiculous stories. However, last year was pretty crazy too... right?"_

 _Samus actually laughed. "Oh yeah! I remember that. Ness was a king sent into the sea by a whale, and he was swallowed by it for three days and-"_

 _"Err... Samus, I believe you are mistaking that for the biblical story of Jonah. Last year, Ness was a budding pop star who had to pretend that his lead drummer Peach was his wife so he could impress a record company who wanted to make millions off of him."_

 _"Oh..." Samus trailed off, looking rather upset with herself._

 _Marth shook his head, sick of the interruptions. "That doesn't matter! My point is, we've had extreme fun doing this! Although we are missing a few critical members in our group, we are going to make this story great. If you don't remember how this goes, for some odd reason, one person starts a story. We completely make it up from scratch and have to give it a name. We each tell the stories in parts. The first person who goes can stop telling his or her story wherever he or she wants, and then whomever chooses to go next may do so and continue where the first person left off. We go in succession till we get to the last person of the group who hadn't spoken and told the story up until that point. That person has the choice to finish the tale, or leave it off at a cliffhanger. Should we put at a cliffhanger, we'll meet again and finish the tale we started with. If we do finish tonight, we make up another one next year."_

 _"Yeah, I remember it again," Pit said. "But, the big question is... who wants to go first?"_

 _Each member of the Storytellers 'club' paused to let that sink in. Whoever started and finished had the hardest jobs of all. A story needed a strong beginning or it would never go anywhere. The tale also would need a strong finisher or satisfying enough cliffhanger or it'd be a flop._

 _"Maybe Lucina should go." Zelda suggested._

 _"Why?" Lucina questioned._

 _"You've never started a story before. In thirteen years, you've never started one." Marth explained._

 _"Normally you go second." Pit added._

 _"That's never a bad thing," Lucina pointed out. "I like second. I also, however, have never tried last before. I'd like to go last maybe tonight."_

 _"Well, let Marth go first," Samus nodded towards the blue-haired male. "We all arrived three hours late, most of us not even having an explanation or excuse behind it, so it's the least we could do for making him wait."_

 _Marth smiled. "That's very considerate of you."_

 _"We'd seem like complete assholes if we didn't." Pit backed up Samus's decision._

 _"Okay! I like it!" Marth agreed._

 _"So, what's on your devilish mind, huh?" Zelda asked._

 _Marth shrugged. "I don't know. We did a comedy last year, a romance the year before, and a comedy the year before that. We should change it up."_

 _"A mystery?" Lucina quipped._

 _A light bulb went off in Marth's head. "I got it!" Everyone waited with heavy anticipation to hear the next words to come from his mouth. "I'm going to call this story... Dark Magic. There once was an ordinary boy named Marth Lowell-"_

 _Samus rolled her eyes for what seemed like the eightieth time that night. "I always find it funny that the person who starts the story makes them the protagonist."_

 _"Shhh... he's in the moment!" Pit hushed her._

 _A crazed smile played on Marth's lips. "Like I was saying, there was an ordinary boy named Marth Lowell. Except, he wasn't that ordinary, not in the slightest. He had unbelievable powers given to him as a child, that allowed to him to be a real life magician. One day, after a tragic accident, he was soon to discover that others wanted his power, but definitely not for good. If he had only paid more attention beforehand..."_

 _..._

* * *

 **Part I: Marth (Parties Never Really Killed Anybody... Did They?)**

* * *

The shouting broke Marth Lowell's conversation in a sudden halt, his mind running into a brick wall. The ball he had been floating in the air with his hands, combined with his brain, fumbled to the desk and bounced against the wooden surface. He glanced casually at the door to his bedroom, angry voices echoing from the kitchen downstairs. He rolled his eyes. " _Wonderful. He and Lucina are fighting yet again. What does it take for a simple boy around here to be left in peace_?"

He tried again, the ball effortlessly lifting up and hanging in the air. Smiling, he stood and moved his hands up. Thrusting up with the power of a megaton bomb, the ball shattered through the plastered ceiling, the shingled roof, and into the night sky of Los Angeles. Laughing, Marth released his willpower on the object and watched it hurtle back into his bedroom. "I think I'm getting the hang of it, aren't I? Damn, I'm good," he said to himself, proud of his accomplishment. Another batch of yelling disrupted his thoughts. "Hey, family, why don't you lower it down a bit? Trying to do my homework!" he lied.

Grunting in frustration, for his voice didn't seem to reach anyone, he pulled out his phone. Having half the mind to call his own dad in the same house, his eyes caught attention of the time. 10:42 P.M. Whoops, that wasn't good. His friends were going to be here at any minute and see his family in tatters. Even when his mother was alive, his household was still in shambles. Without her, it looked even worse.

He threw the door open, and marched downstairs. He was not going to be made a joke of in front of his friends, especially not his girlfriend. The voices got louder, his sister's voice intensifying to where she was overlapping her dad in anger.

"I'm sorry that I lost control and the rock went flying into your car tire! I'm not the greatest with my powers, and you know that!" Marth's sister Lucina shouted, pacing in their kitchen. Her navy hair was tucked into her shirt, letting her burning red face do all the talking. His father, Roy Eliwood, was standing up against the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest, his face very cross.

In simplest terms, as Marth could think of if he had to explain to his friends what his family was arguing about was this. At a young age of about five, Roy Eliwood and his wife Peach Lowell had contacted a warlock to give their twins: Marth and Lucina, special powers. Roy and Peach, were both born into families that belonged to a society of magicians and warriors to defend Earth from evil. In a sense, they were an army of Heaven, without descending from there in the first place. The twins were about to turn eighteen in a couple weeks, and at that age, one of the twins would have to battle shortly thereafter to determine who'd carry the family legacy on. In many poorly done attempts to practice her powers, Lucina would ruin their home. Normally it meant their father's belongings getting set on fire, thrown in the Pacific ocean, or smashed to oblivion.

"May you please lower the volume for like five seconds? Zelda and Samus are going to be here any minute, and they don't know about Lucina and I's gift. I would really like them not asking questions all night." Marth cut off the rest of his family in one quick glare.

Roy frowned. "We were that loud?"

"Yeah, you were."

"Dad's just angry again because I blew a tire out of his car," Lucina explained nonchalantly. "I tried explaining to him that, y'know, that whole family heritage battle you and I are supposed to have is rather important. I'd like to win and keep them with me. So I'm training whenever I can. Things just happen to broken."

Marth smiled. He loved his sister's sharpness and quirky attitude. Roy wasn't having it. "Peach and I gave you those powers a long time ago so they could be used for good and in situations of life or death. We never gave either of you the permission to use them on free will and practice them. So, that's why I get mad at you Lucina. You're disobeying me."

Marth's eyes cut to the floor shamefully, knowing he broke the most important rule in his family. Lucina shrugged. "Whatever."

"Peach and I didn't practice what we preached, and that is why we want you to never have that trouble." Roy said.

A nerve was struck between the twins, and they shared a tense glance. Peach Lowell was their deceased mother. As a main protective leader of the Smashers, the group they belonged to, she was put front and center on many missions. In one test, it however was too much. The warlock Ganondorf Fierne, the same individual who had granted Marth and Lucina's powers in the first place, decided to stage a rebellion and overthrow the Smashers. Peach was his strongest adversary, for before he went sour, the two skirmished constantly to keep each other's powers strong and at bay. In Ganondorf's spare time, he grew on his power and became much stronger than before. He defeated Peach as if she was a mere fly, and killed her with her own spell. But, killing the strongest Smasher in history wouldn't go unnoticed, and he was hunted down by the rest of the clan. Forced into hiding, the warlock hadn't been seen for nearly eight years. Peach had died when Marth and Lucina were only ten years old. Roy had vowed at Peach's grave that he wasn't going to let his children succumb to the same demise, nor become so strong it overtook them.

"Please don't mention Mom," Lucina whispered. "It hurts for all of us."

A knock at the door interrupted the solemn moment, and Roy happily went to get it. Looking back at his children, he made sure they had smiles plastered on their faces before opening the entrance to their house. He was greeted with two ladies very well known to him. "Zelda... Samus... good to see you both!" The patriarch hugged the teens before allowing them into his house.

Zelda Mathingson obliged, racing up to Marth and throwing her arms around him in a hug. "Good to see you darling." she whispered, kissing him on the cheek.

"You too." Marth tightened his own arms around his girlfriend.

Samus Bonnwright, one of Marth and Lucina's best friends stood by awkwardly, waving hello to Lucina who opted to hug her. Roy felt the most awkward out of everyone in the house. The two lovers retracted from each other, and Samus took that moment to allow the situation to continue on. "Pit is already at the party. Apparently it's on the hill overlooking downtown. Somehow the party has reservations... and a few spots left. If we want to get there in time, we better leave now."

"I want you kids back before sunrise, or I'm calling the cops, okay?" Roy prompted, patting his son on the back, and gently pulling Lucina into a hug.

"Whatever you want Mr. Eliwood, we'll deliver." Zelda replied.

The four teens exited the house. "It's not everyday that the most popular kid of your school hosts the biggest party the city has ever seen..." Samus trailed off, as the door to Marth's house shut.

Marth reached into his pocket, pulling out his SUV's keys. His Honda SUV sat proudly in the driveway, even adorned by a gleaming silver coat of paint. "I'll drive," he offered. "If you're okay with breaking a few speeding limits of course. Maybe some legal laws while we're at it."

"Such a bad boy." Zelda smirked, getting in the passenger seat. Samus opted for the back.

Lucina stopped by her brother, placing a warm hand on his shoulder. "I assume from the look you gave to the floor when Dad mentioned magic rules, must mean you're breaking them too?"

Marth laughed. "Of course!"

He wrenched the driver door open, and took his rightful spot. Turning the ignition on, and making sure his seatbelt was tight enough, he roared off into the L.A roadways.

* * *

"It's right up there," Zelda said, pointing with a finger. "You see it?"

"Yeah, I'm totally going to miss the large crowd partying on the cliff. Totally." Marth snorted.

He pulled the SUV into the parking lot, the loud booming of the music shaking the vehicle. Killing the motor, Marth stuffed the keys into his pocket and unlocked the doors. The four jumped out, only to be met with a bright flash of a camera, mixed in with four cries of pain, alternating levels depending on the amount of light each passenger received.

"Whoops! I'm so sorry about that you guys," a fifth voice apologized, one that made Marth grin from ear to ear. "I'll the change the flash levels to even brighter next time. Your faces are all priceless!"

When the blinding brightness dissipated, Marth was left with the face of his other best friend Pit Anderson as a replacement. The avid photographer smiled sheepishly behind his lens, a tousled head of mahogany hair pointing out in all various directions. It was no surprise to anyone around him to know that Pit probably had jumped out of bed only hours beforehand and didn't bother to clean up. A photographer always needed to get up and go, no heeded warning was ever given. If there was a photo moment that had to be captured, the artist couldn't spare any seconds tending to distractions.

Lucina rubbed her eyes. "I'd really much appreciate a warning next time. Good to see you, bud."

Marth and Pit hugged, a common occurrence since the two hardly saw each other. "Likewise, I'll just second what my sister said. How have you been?"

Pit blushed. "I've been good. Won a contest for a photo I took of a butterfly. This Nikon camera pulls off wonders!"

"That's cool," Samus congratulated her fellow friend. "How much money did you make."

"Five dollars," Pit replied. "It was totally worth it," he added hurriedly, coupling with the four's confused faces. "I spent two hours monitoring the monarch's patterns, and then BAM, I got the perfect shot. Five dollars may not seem like much, I know. But, I was able to get the new enhancer for it because all I needed was four dollars more to buy it. Winning the contest gave me that edge so now no one can ever beat me in the photography world!"

"Great for you," Zelda patted him on the back. "How's the party?"

"More or so the usual highschool hang out," Pit answered. "Everyone is drunk off their damn rockers, and there is this strange guy I keep on seeing. He looks awesome for my Mystery Scrapbook, so I keep on trying to get a photo of him. Whenever I snap a picture, he doesn't appear on screen."

"Maybe he's a ghost." Lucina supplied.

"Or maybe you're the drunk one and everyone else is sober." Marth joked.

Pit laughed. "Ha, the joke is on you Lowell. You know I am the _last_ person to ever do something illegal."

"Enough standing around then! We've got a party to attend to!" Zelda ordered.

The five friends nodded, racing up the hill to join the band of partiers.

* * *

Marth stumbled around the partygoers in a daze, the harsh mesh of sound and lights confusing him. Even though he had knowledge that Pit wouldn't drink, it didn't mean he wouldn't have a beer or two. The background blurred into a hazy mesh of dancing bulbs of color, harmonic notes and sharp beats crashing into a disrupting dissonance. He blinked, alcohol really was strong on him.

A blur rushed past him, causing Marth to do a 360 turn. He clutched his head, blinking rapidly. Somehow his vision cleared, and the party turned back to normal. Insane and chaotic. Yep, totally normal. However, it was puzzling on how ran past him. He turned around, half expecting his sister. "Lucina?" he called.

Someone stood next to him, a stranger who had decided to not partake in the dancing of the night either. "Looks like you've been taken for a run, huh?"

Marth jumped a mile high, scared out of his wits. He gave a small do over of the person who spoke to him, sharp diamond eyes clashing against two amber ones. "Who are-"

The stranger chuckled. "How rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Ness Mortmain, glad to meet you." He outstretched a hand.

Marth took it gingerly, and shook it, albeit his touch was much more hesitant. "Hi. Nice to meet you. Have you seen my sister, L-"

"Lucina? No, I haven't seen her anywhere." Ness finished for him.

A blink. "I'm sorry, but how did you know that?"

"Don't worry about that Marth."

"How do you know my name?"

"That's not important." Ness toppled the question with a wave of his hand.

"Listen here Ness. If you're a stalker, I suggest you back off before-"

"I know about the magical powers you and your sister possess," Ness said. "Relax. I'm only here to warn you."

Marth kept silent, for the fact that this random stranger knew of his family's abilities shocked him. He nodded his head. "I'm all ears then."

"A certain someone has taken interest in your gift, and wants to harness it for evil on unimaginable levels."

"Who?"

"That person I do not know. I am representative of the Smashers, and it's all they truly given me."

Marth's eyes widened. "Then-"

"You mustn't tell anyone. Your friends Samus and Pit cannot learn of this, your girlfriend Zelda can never find this out, your dad Roy is to be left in the dark. Even Lucina cannot know of what I'm telling you."

"Why?"

"It'd put your closest ones in your life in grave danger. A danger that'd certainly kill them."

"That's rather unsettling."

"I'm not the one who has their life on the line." Ness chortled darkly.

Marth furrowed his eyebrows. "Any more information you can give me?"

Ness shook his head in dissent. "I'm sorry, I cannot. However, know this. Do not be deceived by what you think is real. Look at everything with extreme close detail, for there are some things around you that can keep you alive whilst aiding at the same time. Now, I must be off. And, since I think this is rather important, turn a 180 to the right. Your sister is caught quite in a pickle."

In a flash, the stranger was gone. In Marth's own words, Ness Mortmain vanished in front of his own very eyes. His last words echoed in his brain. " _Sister caught quite in the pickle..._ " He turned to watch popular guy, captain of the football team, Snake Rowan Thatcher backhand his sister across the face. Rage erupted all over Marth's body as he watched Lucina crumple against the concrete, a cry of pain escaping from her lips. He edged forward, moving the crowd out of his way. Snake boldly turned to face Marth when the football captain found himself being lifted off of the ground.

Marth outstretched a hand, his fingers twisting and bending in grotesque, inhuman shapes. "You'll leave my sister alone!" he growled, his voice pulsing with darkness.

Snake gasped, clawing at his throat. The crowd screamed, backing up. Samus, Pit, and Zelda all watched in shell shocked fear as the football captain went higher and higher into the air. Marth's veins felt on fire, his eyes scorched with burning hate. He tightened his hand into a fist, deep putrid splotches of crimson appearing on Snake's neck. Lucina struggled to her feet, a gasp of her own letting loose. Her brother was about to crush the boy's throat, which would surely kill him.

Thinking fast, Pit and Samus split. "Marth, stop!" Pit screamed.

He tackled Marth, causing the latter to break from his anger. Snake dropped through the air and got caught in Samus's arms in the nick of time. Laying him down slowly, Samus returned her attention to Lucina, checking her over to make sure she was alright. Pit got off of Marth, watching in strange curiosity as the blackness of his friend's eyes retracted back to his normal and cheerful blue. His confused face soon turned into a snarl. He pulled the SUV keys out of his pocket and threw them into Pit's hands.

"We are all leaving, all five of us. Drive the van, now!" he barked.

The four others ran to the SUV as if their butts had been zapped by lightning. The three girls took the back, Pit practically diving into the drivers spot. Marth stood slowly, and pressed a hand to his face to see that he had a bloody nose. Cardinal droplets trickled slowly to the asphalt, and he walked back to his car in a rather methodical mood. While a few others were helping Snake up to see if he was okay, most of the party attendees were staring in disbelief and horror at Marth.

Not noticing that unwarranted attention was on his back, the enraged psychic got in the passenger side of the SUV and the car peeled away from the hill.

* * *

"What in the hell was that?" Zelda yelled from the backseat.

"You almost killed him!" Samus jumped on the bandwagon.

"You lifted the guy off of the concrete Marth, you levitated him off the ground!" Pit exclaimed, trying to balance looking at the road and at his best friend.

"Marth, are you insane? You know what Dad said! That was hardly a life threatening situation. I could've handled that just fine!" Lucina shrilled.

Marth had a headache, and he slammed his head against his seat, which only worsened the pain. "One at a damn time! My head is killing me and I can't concentrate on this many things at once."

The yelling in the van ceased to a minimal squeak, everyone else surprised by his outburst. Pit bit the bullet and went first. "I'm safe in assuming this one thing. Zelda, Samus, Lucina, and I all just witnessed you lift Snake Thatcher, the football captain, off the ground and almost crush his throat."

"That's insane." Marth muttered.

"Exactly! That's our point," Zelda shrieked. "We all saw it."

"You're all drunk, or must've been hallucinating." Marth brushed off the comment.

Lucina pinched her brother in the back of the neck, but tried to play off the shock. Samus snorted. "Yeah, we're insane. Zelda and I had one glass of wine each, while your sister and Pit only had a couple cans of diet coke. I'm pretty sure we're not making this up."

However, Marth wasn't listening. His attention was bent ahead on the person standing out in the road before him. "Pit, slow down."

"What?" Pit asked.

"I said slow down dammit! Slow the f****** van to a stop!"

The stranger seemed extremely familiar to Marth, and his heart stopped between his throat and lungs as two olive black wings broke from the person's back. Marth opened his mouth to sound off a warning when the stranger stretched his hand out, palm facing upward at the sky. The mysterious figure raised his arm up, and a loud explosion rocked the sky as a fireball erupted from the back of the van, lifting the vehicle into the air with a flip. Screaming filled Marth's ears as the world turned to black.

* * *

Air rushed into his ears, as he felt himself eject out of the car and smash into the van's window. The force should've killed him, but he was prepared. Marth snapped his eyes awake, lowering the wall of magic around him. He saw Lucina get rocketed in the air, panicking as she jolted awake from the unconsciousness slipping away from her.

Marth's eyes went back to the van, which was turned on its top and set ablaze. Pit was lying in the grass a couple of yards away, the vegetation around him stained a blood chilling dark violet. Marth's heart stopped, his body froze. His friend certainly couldn't be dead... could he? No, he couldn't! Looking at Lucina as she lowered herself to the ground, his thoughts screamed. " _Help Pit! He's not moving, and he's bleeding a ton!_ "

Taking his attention to the burning van, he could see that Zelda and Samus were both unconscious inside, trapped by their seatbelt traps. He tried prying one of the doors open, the metal scorching his hands. He hissed vehemently, seeing that now or never was the life threatening situation, the _real_ life threatening situation. He ripped the doors of the van off in one clean wave of his mind.

" _Please be alive, please be alive..._ " he silently pleaded.

Whoever did this to him and his friends was headed straight into a world of pain, a world where that person didn't escape with their life. In a world of pain, Marth would let no one live.

* * *

Pit groaned, looking up from his wounded spot in the grass. He saw with a blurred vision, Marth and Lucina be launched from the car via the windshield and thrown into the air. The photographer screamed in pain, trying to staunch some of the blood flow coming from his stomach. A jagged piece of metal was stuck between his ribs, and his right kneecap was busted completely.

He felt his eyes starting to droop, that he was going to blur back into darkness once again. He watched in awe, unsure whether or not what he was seeing was even real. Marth landed on the road with out even a visible scratch on him, his landing full of grace and clam atmosphere. Lucina landed somewhat similarly down the hill, running back up to him.

He watched as Marth debated with himself over the car, which had the back set on fire. He could barely make out Samus and Zelda's still forms in the back, flames daring to lick at their bodies and burn away their flesh. His heart hammered faster and faster, more pain settling in as he witnessed Marth tear all four car doors off at the same time without even touching them.

As Lucina barely managed to reach him, he moaned and set his face back into the dirt where darkness consumed him.

The blood still pooled out of his body, but he slipped away with one final thought.

" _Marth had magic powers_."

* * *

 **End of Part I**

* * *

 _Marth leaned back from his spot, smiling rather triumphantly. He sighed, content with his piece of the story. "There we have it you guys. We've got the first chapter of Dark Magic. Who is next?"_

 _Instead of someone answering his question, voices broke out over the fire. "I'm suddenly dating you?" Zelda asked in anger._

 _"Why did you make your sister?" Lucina growled._

 _"So, you just killed us off?" Pit shrieked._

 _Samus's eyes were slits. "You're playing with dangerous fire Marth, leaving it there."_

 _"Guys, it's a story. Settle down," Marth calmed everyone, breathing with relief that he was not going to be torn to bits by his friends. "Remember, whoever decides to pick it up can have all of us live or not."_

 _That took the other four back two steps. Pit grinned. "Well, in that case I vouch Samus!"_

 _"Why me?" Samus yelped, staring at the pilot._

 _"I've got a feeling there's a trick up your sleeve. Although you seem angry with Marth's ending, you were smiling the entire time he spoke. You've got ideas brewing." Pit explained._

 _"And so what if I do?"_

 _"It means you've got an idea, and it must be brought to the table." Marth answered._

 _Zelda smirked. "That's why, Samus, you need to stay devoid of emotion when listening to the person speaking. It gives them subtleties that you're interested."_

 _Samus scowled, however her face seemed held back. She sighed, seeing as she had nowhere to run. She put herself into a corner. "Well, dammit... I'll go next."_

 _"I can see why you called it Dark Magic," Lucina said to Marth. "Good thinking there."_

 _"You know what this means though, right?" Pit quipped to Marth._

 _The blue-haired male frowned. "No, what?"_

 _"You have mentioned Roy as a character, Ness as well. Depending on where we end this, Roy has got to be here next year to have his own part of the story. He's in it. Ness has to be here tonight for his arc. Clearly you're making him out to be the villain or something."_

 _"You know, Ness won't be happy about being the devil angel spawn or whatever." Zelda commented._

 _"If he was here, maybe I'd have given him a better role," Marth sneered. "Not my fault."_

 _Lucina picked at the mulch. "This is going to be good, I can already tell..."_

 _Marth smiled slyly. "I appreciate the gesture, Lucina. So, I then ask this to all of you. How shall this story go? I've started some sort of supernatural and mystery tale, one that can go many paths. I've done my job quite successfully considering you four lashed out at me in anger. Samus, I assume is going next from Pit self-volunteering her to that position. So, I'll ask again. Where will you take this story? We've all got a story to tell, don't we?"_

 _Marth's question bounced back and forth in the minds of his fellow friends. He was right, indeed. A familiar saying that the Storytellers had worked pretty well with their get togethers._

 _Roses are red. Violets are blue. I have a secret to tell, and you do too. Don't worry, there's nothing to hide. There's always a story behind everything in life.  
Sincerely, the Storyteller crew._

 _So yes, what about you?_

 _Any stories you wish to share?_

* * *

 **Damn, that was a long chapter. Man, 8472 words later I've come to this ending author's note for the first chapter. So, yep, what do you guys think? I seriously wrote this all in one day, from 9:30 PM to 11:50 PM Eastern Standard time. Nearly 8500 words in two hours and twenty minutes. This just goes to show you that when I'm dedicated to get something done, I get it done. I hope you all enjoyed this!**

 **Please review and let me know what you've thought! I'd really appreciate it, and maybe suggestions can be taken into consideration. I am actually going to see this story around to completion, unlike the first time which ended at Chapter 3. I'm still going in the same order I did originally, so Samus is next with Chapter 2: Samus and her part of the tale: Green Eyed Monster. I'm definitely excited for it, and you all must know this'll probably be the longest chapter. Every other chapter may fall in the 3k-6k range. The last chapter may be a little longer than this one by a slim margin, but it's highly unlikely. Thanks for reading this monster you guys! I'll be seeing you with a new Infernum chapter tomorrow actually, and I'll try to have the 2nd chapter of this story up sometime between the 30th and the 1st as I'm going on vacation soon. Love you all! Thanks again, thanks so much! You guys are the best readers I could ever ask for!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	2. (2): Samus

**Hey everyone, it's Paradigm of Writing again (aren't you all sick of me by now?) with the 2nd chapter of Storytellers, Miss Samus. We left off on a chapter of monstrous proportions, a size I don't think I'll be able to replicate till maybe the finale... but now guess what? I've thought of a sequel! Yep, I'm calling it Creationists (mainly because I don't want to use Storytellers twice... or make this be Part I and then Part 2 be something else.) I'm super excited for it, and I'm hoping to have it out next summer, although it's gonna be much earlier in the summer instead. I'm going with about ten chapters or so, but that means new characters! Yes, I'm super excited. Let's do this, let's do this. This chapter and the next will be somewhat slightly confusing in sequence as the events** ** _aren't_** **in sequence. This opening scene that Samus is telling is on the night the crash just happened, while the rest of the chapter flash forwards to a week or so later. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _"I'm still trying to wrap my mind around how you made the car crash." Pit said, looking at Marth._

 _Marth shrugged. "Magic?"_

 _"Well, then it means that four characters out of the seven introduced have magic," Lucina thought aloud, counting on her fingers. "You gave yourself supernatural gifts because you would, then me because you're totally infatuated with me, Roy because we got magic from our terrible parents, and now I'm assuming Ness flipped the car."_

 _"Why do you all of a sudden assume Ness?" Zelda asked._

 _"Who else could it be?" Samus shot back._

 _"A character I haven't introduced," Marth smirked. "Well, I'm not saying it is someone anonymous, nor am I alluding to it being Ness. It's just someone my story self couldn't decipher from the windshield. I did say the person was a stranger."_

 _"What if it wasn't a person?" Lucina teased._

 _"I don't get you." Pit said._

 _Samus understood the bluenette completely. "Demons and angels, that's what I'm assuming you're referencing?"_

 _Zelda frowned. "So... we're jumping into witchcraft now?"_

 _Marth snickered. "The story contains magic girlie, I think we've passed that line a long time ago."_

 _"So, we're trespassing religion." Pit nodded._

 _"Neither one of us said that." Lucina and Samus spoke at the same time._

 _Marth sighed. "Well, Samus... you offered to go next, didn't you?"_

 _"Yeah, don't remind me." Samus muttered._

 _"Are we all dead or what?" Pit asked nonchalantly._

 _"She hasn't even started speaking." Zelda stared at the pilot with confusion. She didn't quite understand how the guy always jumped to conclusions so quickly._

 _The only blonde around the campfire cracked her knuckles. "When I was little, my brother before he went into the army, always told me there were two spirits in your soul. One was good, one was bad. Light and dark, fire and water... however you wish to see it. When the nice or 'good' part of you dies either physically or spiritually, the evil or 'bad' part takes its place and you are a completely different person. I never really believed my brother when he said that, I mean after all it's just a story. But, that doesn't mean we don't have our inner demons inside of us. You can say that you're perfect and will never become anything less, but that tormentor inside makes your promise worthless. What if, the worst demon in your life was you? For Samus Bonnwright, that was true."_

...

* * *

 **Part II: Samus (Green Eyed Devil)**

* * *

Roy Eliwood paused, his finger hesitating over the space bar on his keyboard to his computer. " _Something's wrong... with my children..._ "

Pain exploded in the back of his head, and he howled. Pushing away from the computer, he collapsed to the floor. The burning fire came from his temples, scorching intense pain he only felt when someone in his family was experiencing trouble: a bond only parents shared with each other and their children. His eyes snapped wide open, ignoring the fire was the only thing he could do. The last time he had this pain brought on him was when Peach had been killed. His children...

"Marth and Lucina..." he whispered, stumbling to his feet. He raced for the front door, hoping he could make it to wherever they were in time before... before anything else could happen to them.

As Roy managed to slip his numb hand around the metal handle, someone materialized in his living room. He turned around in shock to see Ness Mortmain crouched in a huddle, blood pooling out of his legs. The boy coughed, struggling to sit up. Roy hurried over to him.

"Mr. Eliwood, I need- I need to talk to you..." Ness croaked, trying to staunch the blood flow from his body.

"Ness, what happened to you?"

"Car crash at the party. Marth snapped-"

"What do you mean by saying my son snapped?" Roy growled.

"I approached Marth, told him of his risk... when the captain of the football team backhanded Lucina across the face. He stepped in, almost ripped out the other guy's throat. His friends stopped him, and in repercussion, they left. The five of them," Ness coughed, blood coming out from his mouth. The carpet was staining a putrid violet. Roy shuddered. Too many memories. "They didn't get too far down the road when the car crashed. Marth and Lucina seem alright, but they used their powers-"

"That's a life and death situation Ness, that's not a problem! What else happened?"

"The boy with the camera... Pit, was lying on the grass bleeding out. The other two girls were trapped in the van. It was flipped over, and on fire. Marth got them out in time."

"Why are you injured? You weren't in the car, were you?" Roy asked.

Ness shook his head, watching the wounds on his legs start to heal. "Demons. I believe they were the reason behind the car flipping over. Two of them attacked me shortly after I witnessed the crash, perhaps because I was going to go you all with the news."

"If the demons are back... Ganondorf is trying to return." Roy said grimly.

"I had to warn you, in case the demons came for you too," Ness said weakly. "If they surprise attacked you, it wouldn't go well."

"They'd know better. Demons know better than to try and attack the third strongest Smasher in history. Ness, where are my children?"

"Hospital on 4th..." Ness whispered, before falling into unconsciousness.

Roy scooped up the boy in his arms and broke for his car. He had to get to his kids. If he didn't...

Roy Eliwood didn't want to finish that thought.

* * *

Samus Bonnwright set her mother's old jewelry piece across her neck, smiling warmly as the familiar feeling coursed through her veins. She winced, trying to ignore the sharp stabbing pain in her neck, the scar rippling. A week had passed since the eventful night of the car crash, and the six, including Ness had healed from their injuries. Pit took a little longer, suffering from many broken bones and a ruptured blood vessel in his lower abdomen. Marth and Lucina only walked away with minor scrapes and bruises, which were very eye opening to the doctors and nurses waiting on them hand and foot. It was impossible for people in a crash of that degree to not be bleeding somewhat internally or have head trauma. There was no way.

She had taken a good blow to the head, the bottom of her right foot slightly burned off by the fire that had enveloped the back of the van. Zelda only suffered a broken arm and light trauma to her neck- all five had gotten out with their lives. And although it wasn't known to them, Ness recovered too. Marth swore that it was the freaky guy at the party, while the other four including Lucina claimed a freak accident. The only reason their healing went so fast, which took a total of four days, could've been credited to Roy Eliwood, who used several healing spells he knew to mend the broken bones and to repair split vessels. In the shortest time any LA hospital had ever seen, the five friends were bustling out and about in the streets.

There was one thing hidden from Marth though. Samus's thoughts. She smirked to herself. She knew that the accident truly was freaked, it was intentional. Marth intended for it to happen. He had to, from the get go. " _He yelled at Pit to stop the car, but he never did. So, Marth flipped it for he was angry at all of us. He was caught red handed with nearly obliterating Snake's throat... and when we called him out, he tried killing us all. Lovely_."

Samus looked at her reflection in the mirror, admiring the talisman around her neck. Her eyes flashed a glittering emerald, and she blinked. That was the fifth time in three days her eyes did that. Last she remembered, unless the crash really screwed with her head, she had blue eyes. Eyes that sparkled like the waves of the sea, round blueberries in a bowl. She never recalled having eyes the color of a forest.

The talisman had belonged to Rosalina Bonnwright, her mother. Her father Ike Bonnwright had managed to snag it at an auction for around forty dollars. It was a waste of money, her mother had chided. The piece was much more valuable than forty dollars. That was the last thing she had ever heard her parents say at breakfast that day, for only an hour later... both had been gunned down in a hit and run outside their business office. Alone, Samus had nowhere to turn. Luckily, her neighbors were gracious enough to pay for half of the house- Samus receiving her inheritance helped with the other half. Rent free, all she had to pay was the utilities.

A knock came from her front door. Her eyes skirted over at the sound. She smirked, pouring a bottle of apple cider into a glass. She took a sip, the bitter and tart liquid splashing down her throat.

"It's open." she called, setting her drink down.

Loud chatter and laughs erupted in the foyer as Marth, Zelda, and Pit all stumbled in. Oddly enough, each teen was giggling uncontrollably. Zelda joined Samus in the living room.

"We come bearing gifts." she announced happily.

Marth rolled his eyes, stepping inline with his girlfriend. "By gifts, she means she brought alcohol."

Zelda grinned. "It's _the_ gift of alcohol. It's also the greatest stress reliever."

Marth sat, throwing his jacket over his shoulder. "Lucina couldn't come. My dad and I forced her to stay behind tonight, in case we get killed or something."

Pit grabbed a glass, deciding to take the bait on pour a glass of vodka for himself. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He had nothing clutched in his hands, which surprised Samus more than it should have. "Well, I'll be surprised if I'm going to be able to drive again till I'm thirty."

"It was the car," Marth assured his friend. "Pit, it wasn't your fault."

Samus glared at him, taking another slow sip of her drink. "Perhaps it was yours."

Marth opened his mouth to say something to his girlfriend when he stopped, his eyebrows furring together. His stunning aqua hair made his scowl seem a bit lighter, but the full intention was there. "What did you say?"

A musing smile broke the tension. "I said we should go outside."

Samus stood, patting Marth on the back. He frowned, extremely cautious of her behavior. Seeing as inside would become boring without their host, he followed her. Pit and Zelda shared a glance. They didn't like where this was heading. Not one bit.

* * *

Samus opened the door to her back porch, a world of cherry blossoms and fig trees swallowing the cobblestone ground whole. Marth shut the door after her, still staring at his friend warily. He blinked as she turned, seeing her stunning emerald eyes. He shook his head. " _I'm totally seeing things now. She has had blue eyes for all I've known her. And now she has green? That doesn't make any sense!_ "

"It's a shame Lucina couldn't come."

"My father and I don't want to risk it. Although she's seventeen like I am, her and I do not share anything else in common besides relations. If we were put in another situation like last week... she'd probably get hurt. I, especially, am not taking that chance."

"I think she should be here. It spices up the event, you know. Besides, your Marth Lowell. People always want to do crazy things around you." Samus repeated her plea. Marth found it odd that she kept mentioning his sister. Lucina Lowell wasn't exactly a party animal, she wouldn't have the greatest time. Being at the party last week was enough for her.

"I guess..."

"I wanted to ask if you were alright. You seemed a little tense back in the living room."

Marth sighed, sitting down on a bench near one of the fig trees. "Thanks Sam, but I'm fine."

She scoffed. "That's a lie Lowell, and you know it. You are Marth Lowell. Every male in town wants to be you. I wouldn't put it past half the guys at our school. They'd kill someone for a day of being you."

His smile seemed fake, she saw right through it. "I've dealt with it all, Samus."

"Whatever you say..." she whispered, walking to the back of her patio.

Marth took a sip from his chilling glass of sprite. He wasn't going back to alcohol for awhile. "Besides, after Lucina and I's party next week... I'll be shipping out not long after that. College and all of that, out in Texas. I've got a scholarship for robotics, and I'm not letting it slip out of my fingers. They'll forget all about me, this city will never remember Marth Lowell. I'm just another guy in a long list of them to come from this city."

Samus eyed her family sword, a katana given to her father when he was twenty. It was placed on a scaffold, a metal frame bolted into a wooden post. She turned around, so Marth couldn't see her. She gripped the katana up from its placement, moving the sheath slower and slower away from the blade. "Go on..."

"When I take my new future, I'll be a completely different Marth Lowell!" he replied, his face full of confidence.

"You've got that right." Samus sneered. Marth looked past her, and saw his reflection in a mirror. He titled his head to the side slightly, seeing her hands pull something apart. The two had their mouths open to speak, when Pit and Zelda came barging through the back door.

Noise erupted onto the patio as Samus sheathed the katana, and placed it back on the mantle. She stepped away from it, trying to make it look as if she hadn't had any dealing with the matter. She scoffed to herself, Marth getting up to go and talk to Zelda. Pit sat himself in the same spot that Marth previously occupied, downing the last of his vodka in one gulp.

She found it despicable how they all returned to their normal lives. Mentions of the crash happened here or there, but it still drove her insane. People couldn't return to daily routine like that so quickly. Her friends wanted familiarity, and would do anything to have it. Nothing having changed, her friends kept on being their boring and uninteresting selves.

She sat next to Pit, nudging him lightly in the shoulder. "Where's your camera?"

Pit smiled sheepishly, blushing a deep red. "Destroyed, as if I expected anything else with it. Blown up into a million, billion, trillion little pieces in the flaming rubble of Marth's van. Not like it was fire or destruction proof or anything. I wish I had a camera like that, it'd be awesome. I _did_ get another Nikon though, so it's all good." He patted his jacket pocket.

A sly smile grew on Samus's face. Reaching over Pit, rather sexually, she dipped into his pocket and pulled it out. Pit blushed even more, feeling her hands gently stroke his chest. Before anything too interesting could happen, she had retracted away with his camera in hand. "You should film me with it, so I can see how much of an improvement it has over the old one."

Pit couldn't believe his ears. "Yeah- yeah- I could do that." he stuttered.

"Good."

"What do you want me filming?"

"Are you saying you don't like the new me?" Samus asked.

"I wasn't mentioning anything of a new you. What are you-" Pit started.

"Marth likes the new me, he said it himself! Right, Marth?" Samus yelled over at him and Zelda. She quickly turned her head back to Pit where he did a double take. He swore he saw her eyes flicker a shiny green, and then they shifted back to the dazzling blue he always remembered.

"Samus, are you wearing contacts?"

She frowned. "What?" Suddenly, she moaned quietly, rubbing her temple forcefully.

"Samus, are you okay?" Pit questioned, gripping her arm and checking for a pulse.

"What do you mean?"

Pit jumped back, seeing that Marth and Zelda went back to their own conversations. Samus's voice dipped low, sounding deep and masculine. The flash of emerald faceted by. He could barely get the words out of his mouth. "You- you've been acting kind of weird lately. Shifting voice pitches, shifting eye color. Even the way you dress-"

Samus stood. "Oh, so Zelda is able to dress like however she chooses and is able to flaunt over guys like ragdolls, but the minute I do it it's wrong?" she yelled.

That got Marth's attention. "Samus, what the hell is wrong with you?" The other two got up and inched closer and closer.

"That's just _delightful_ coming from you." she snarked.

Marth felt a sucker punch smack him in the gut. "Samus... I don't-"

"You're all liars. You guys are weak, spineless, afraid, pathetic wimps! You guys are afraid of showing the world who you really are."

Pit started sweating. "Sam, this isn't you."

"Oh, isn't it? You just haven't seen me yet. Because, I see you, I see Marth, I see Zelda..." she trailed off. Samus grimaced, her eyes closing shut quickly before reopening them. Vibrant orbs of shimmering emerald, brighter than ever before. "None of you have ever seen the real me. GET OUT! Get out of my house!" she screamed, her voice deepening to one of unbelievable proportions.

Marth backed up slowly, before running off. Pit and Zelda shared another frightening look before racing after him.

Pit grabbed his camera in a flash, stopping in Samus's living room. He rewound the footage he took, rewinding to a moment when Samus's eyes changed. She roared some insult, her eyes glowed, and then the pendant around her neck flashed. He lowered the camera. "Oh my god..."

* * *

Samus held the katana in her hands, seeing that Marth was down the road only a few blocks from her. She smirked. This was going to be too easy.

"You're right Lowell, you will be different once you manage your future. You'll be having a future filled with death. Particularly yours..."

* * *

 **End of Part II**

* * *

 _"There. Suitable cliffhanger to leave off on?" Samus had a twinkle in her eyes._

 _Marth chuckled. "Damn right it is!"_

 _"I'm assuming we have sensual tension between me and you in this story now?" Pit mused, frowning._

 _"If you want there to be some." Samus joked._

 _"Hate to break it to you, but I'm dating a dude. Not a girl."_

 _"It's a story," Lucina chided. "I don't think it matters. Besides, I'm pretty sure a story won't turn you straight."_

 _Pit laughed. "God I hope not."_

 _"Who's next?"_

 _Zelda raised her hand, for some reason unbeknown. "Me."_

 _Samus gawked at her brown haired enemy. "When in what world do you decide to do anything after me?"_

 _"In this one." Zelda replied mischievously._

 _"Technically speaking, it means our little gal here as something she wants to twist with in this story. Dark Magic just got a little bit more interesting." Marth smirked._

 _Zelda laughed. "You've got that right. But like Samus said, it's just a story."_

 _Or is it?_

* * *

 **There we are guys! Chapter 2: Samus is finished. I know it's not very long, I'm hoping for the next chapter to be longer. I'm super excited for it, cause we'll be at #3: Zelda. Prepare for a few twists I don't think anyone saw coming. Any scene in here you liked in particular, such as the Ness and Roy scene at the beginning? Also, were any of you a little sad we had no Lucina in this chapter? Don't worry, she'll be in the next chapter, and the rest after that. I am a little bummed I only hit 3500 with this one, given it's nearly 5k shorter than the first one, but that had a 4000 word intro, these intros don't have much to offer other than a few lines of dialogue and the main character's spiel of whatever comes next. Thanks for reading guys, and review letting me know what you thought! Love you all! I should be posting the third chapter sometime next week, maybe around Wednesday or Thursday to suffice with two quick updates. Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	3. (3): Zelda

**Hey everyone, it's Paradigm of Writing back once again to do another chapter of Storytellers! Yep, here we are at #3: Zelda, halfway through our tale with another three to go. But, as I'm sure hopefully you all know, I am now doing a sequel! Yes, we are going be doing a 10 chapter piece called Creationists, which will feature new characters such as Roy, Lyn, Kuro, and Ganondorf with their own P.O.V's. I'm extremely stoked! In this chapter, we have three, yes THREE, plot twists heading your way since I absolutely love them and it works every time. Stop complaining this instant if you are, since you know how I am as a writer. Prepare to be... confused I guess, or shocked. Whatever the case will turn out, enjoy!**

* * *

 _The group laughed as Lucina tried doing a staring contest with the fire, her eyes bearing down intensely on the flame. It roared and crackled with the power of a thunderstorm, as if saying "Yeah, you're completely screwed girlie. You want to mess with this?" Lucina blinked, swearing at the top of her lungs. Pit doubled over laughing, and even Samus suppressed a small smile. Zelda and Marth rolled their eyes, although they truly expected nothing less from the blue-haired gal, considering she was almost as insane and wild as Pit._

 _Lucina threw some mulch in the air with her minor fit of rage. "That fire always wins! For four years I've tried, and it always beats me."_

 _"It can't blink," Marth said slowly. "Lucina, that fire is not a living human being that can blink, talk, run or do other things. It'll beat you every time. Every single time."_

 _Pit stopped amid his chuckling to scowl. "Lowell, you do know she's joking, right? Obviously we know that flames can't possess human traits."_

 _Lucina giggled. "Good god Pit, maybe you're the one who needs to lighten up..."_

 _Zelda cracked her knuckles. "I think Lucina looking at the fire gave me an idea."_

 _Samus elbowed her. "What? You'll make her character a complete bumbling idiot." The business owner was rewarded with mulch in her face, thrown by a pissed off Lucina Weathers._

 _The only brunette in the circle frowned. "No... something a little more dark. I wonder what she was thinking whilst looking at the fire."_

 _"How stupid she looked?" Marth suggested._

 _Lucina slugged him in the shoulder. "I'll make you pay for that when it comes for my turn, Lowell. And, to answer your question Zelda, I was imagining that what if the flames did become human. How'd we react, what would it do? Fictional things like that."_

 _Marth rubbed his shoulder, wincing. "You throw a mean punch," He lowered his soothing hand. "I did the same thing with the stars before you all showed up. I was trying to picture the tale of Orion come to life, having Artemis and Apollo fighting with him side by side. It's all fantasy; none of it is real."_

 _"Coming from someone who loves fiction and stories, that's rather hypocritical of you." Pit pointed out._

 _"I'm not allowed to make an opinion?" Marth growled, his hands clenching to fists._

 _"That's it!" Zelda cried, pointing at the male._

 _Marth jumped. "What's what?"_

 _"How I want to take this piece of the story!"_

 _Lucina grinned. "How she works, we'll never know."_

 _Samus snorted. "I'd rather not know."_

 _Pit put a finger to his lips. "Shut it! I think Zelda is starting."_

 _Zelda Ryder breathed slowly, wanting to make sure her words made sense for once. "Don't think for a minute that Zelda Mathingson doesn't know about the girls like her. You know what type of people I'm talking about; you've been one of those people before in your life. She knows all the ups and downs with them, the indecisive ones who follow others and accept everything without question. The doormats. These people don't make up their own answers. Instead, they rely on others to do their decision making for them. What happens one day when agreeing to what everyone else is saying... isn't enough? That's what happened to Zelda on the day of the crash. How someone could survive an impact to that degree, and heal that fast... unheard of. Zelda Mathingson needed to make her own answers up, the ones she was getting weren't cutting it. Nothing made sense, but she had to try and make it mean something. There once was a girl named Zelda, and one day... she woke up doing just that."_

 _..._

* * *

 **Part III: Zelda (Believe Whatever You Want to Believe)**

* * *

"Are you coming down soon? Samus is expecting us!" Marth's voice rang out from downstairs.

Zelda jumped from her spot in the bathroom, her knuckles slamming against the tile countertop. She cussed quietly, clutching her hand in pain. Realizing her boyfriend had asked her a question, it would've been a good idea to reply back. "Yeah, just give me a moment!"

She went back to staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were squinted, like she normally had them when she decided to scrutinize herself a bit closer. Everything seemed fine. Zelda Mathingson still had two gorgeous cerulean eyes, the freckle underneath her right ear still stuck out like a sore thumb. Her hair still glowed a glossy oak sheen in the light. Nothing was amiss, yet she felt completely different.

Flashing lights, moans and screams... scorching heat. She shook her head. " _No, I'm not thinking of that night. I mustn't!"_

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't help but replay the crash in her head. Marth had lifted the football captain off of his feet without even touching him, Snake's throat was about to burst... Pit tackled Marth which broke the levitation trick. The car, the yelling, it all blurred together. Zelda remembered the panicked, stricken look plastered across her boyfriend's face. The merciless screaming at Pit to stop, then a loud roar that echoed in her ears even a week later. Blackness had surged her mind, groans of a body nearby in the grass... Samus immobile next to her with blood pouring out of every pore. A loud screech of metal, slick sweat pools. It all affected her.

She shuddered, backing away from the sink in horror. The memory struck her harder than ever before. Zelda leaped for the countertop again, seeing her eyes shift color. Blue, then to a smoky gray, then back to shiny cerulean. Back and forth the switch went. She yelped in terror, nearly holding onto the shower rod for dear life. Why wasn't Marth coming in to see what was wrong?

The most unbelievable thing to her was that she'd be walking down Santa Monica and the pier would turn to gold. All she had to do was blink, and everything changed. The people around her would vanish, only the sounds of their footsteps signaling someone was even there. The street lights would grow thousands of feet tall, transforming into beams of fire. The birds crystallized and their song was the harmonic voice of angels. Zelda would look down at herself, her daily normal clothes swapped with an ivory robe decorated with petunias. Another blink, and it'd all disappear. Zelda Mathingson would be back on the pier with the Pacific Ocean in front, the city of Los Angeles behind.

The other peculiar event to happen since the crash was that she had an hour conversation with her grandfather Luigi Mathingson two days ago. Odd enough, Luigi Mathingson had been dead for sixteen years, having lost the battle of stage four colon cancer. It didn't matter to her then, she was conversing with her grandfather. Zelda could recall hugging him in their chat, the coarse feel of his tweed jacket, the scent of lumberjacks and maple syrup, the twinkling glint of cheer in his eyes. But, he was dead. She couldn't possibly have been talking to him. That'd be impossible.

Zelda slowly crept up to the mirror, waving a hand in front of her face. She half expected it to penetrate her body and have it be invisible. She met a smack in the nose, a low chuckle escaping her lips. Perhaps she was insane. That'd be better than dead.

The door swung open, and she jumped. Turning around, she saw Marth standing in the doorway. He had an eyebrow raised, puzzled by his girlfriend's strange actions. "Are you alright? You leaped so high, you touched the sky. You acted as if I came in here to kill you."

Zelda swallowed her fear. A nagging thought bit at her brain. _He crashed the car on purpose. You know he did. He wanted everyone did._ She forced a smile. "No, I'm fine."

Marth smiled. "Good. Come on, Pit's here. Samus is expecting us in about half an hour and we don't want to make her late." He offered his hand to her.

She gladly took it and the two exited the bathroom. Zelda turned back, before the door closed shut. She swore, and she'd testify it till she went to her grave, that an old, scrunched up hag was scowling back at her. Wrinkled in nose, scrunched up nostrils, eyes as blood red as the sun. Zelda shivered, she had to be seeing things. Blaming it on her eyesight was the easiest scapegoat she had.

Downstairs, Pit was chatting to Lucina. The female twin was sitting on the couch, a notebook in her hand. She was bent over doodling, idly making comments to Pit's banter. The amateur photographer decided not to bother, simple things like that couldn't drive him over the edge. Lucina Lowell was being rude, plainly stated. He grinned as Zelda and Marth emerged from the bathroom and walked down the stairs.

"There you are Miss Mathingson. Marth and I thought we'd have to leave without you." he greeted warmly, hugging her.

Zelda removed herself from his snug embrace, shaking Lucina's hand. "Why aren't you dressed up?"

"Because she's not coming with us." Marth answered, hugging Pit.

Lucina huffed, blowing a tuff of navy hair out of her eyes. "Which I think is a load of crock. I'm forced to spend my entire night with Roy!"

"I'm not that bad." Roy Eliwood snarked, walking past the four teens into his own bedroom. He had a mug of coffee in his hands, which was odd considering it was almost midnight.

"See, look at that," Marth said. "Dad is even deciding to spend the night in his room."

"Which means I'll be here alone then." Lucina whined.

Pit rolled his eyes. "The younger ones never understand, do they?"

"We're twins, Anderson."

"I'm technically older by twelve seconds." Marth corrected, pointing a sharp finger at his sister.

"What are you drawing?" Zelda asked, leaning over Lucina's shoulder.

"Don't bother," Marth called from the front entrance. He grabbed his coat and slung it over his shoulder. "It's something girly and stupid."

Zelda snorted. "Nice way to insult the ladies in the house."

"It really is nothing," Lucina admitted. "But what is indeed something is the fact that Marth hasn't explained to me why I cannot come over to Samus's."

"I don't need to explain anything," her brother quipped. "In case Pit, Zelda, Samus, and I get in another accident tonight... or worse... we don't want you being there. I'm not risking you getting hurt again. Not by a long shot."

Pit grinned. "That's rather heroic of you, big bro."

Marth flashed his best friend a glare. "Do not call me that."

Lucina sighed. "I can easily take care of myself."

"I have no doubt in my mind that you can," Marth agreed. "But tonight you're sitting this one out. You can take care of yourself at home, instead of out in the world. Better? Now come on you two, we're going to be late and we don't want Samus to get mad."

Zelda laughed. "When does Samus ever get angry?"

"That'd be never." Pit chortled.

The door to the house opened and Marth stepped into the Los Angeles night. "Love you Lucina. We'll be back home before three." Pit and Zelda filed out after him, leaving Lucina alone in the living room.

She sighed, lowering her notebook back to her thighs. " _Thank god Zelda didn't see that_." Slyly smiling to herself, she continued her drawing. Across the top it read: _Burning the Twin's Soul._

* * *

Pit scratched nervously at his seatbelt, nestled in the backseat of Marth's newly given car from his dad. Zelda took the passenger seat, her hands linked with his in the front. " _Would it be bad to ask him? I mean..."_

Pit eyed his camera, seeing the gleaming black case. He gripped it tighter in his hands, hoping it could act as a force of strength. "Marth, can I ask you a question?" The volume of the radio went significantly down.

"You may."

"What really happened with the crash?"

Silence came from the driver's seat, and Zelda unlinked her hand from Marth's grasp. The bluenette itched his neck. "Haven't we already discussed this?"

"I'd like to discuss it some more." Pit said.

"There's nothing to really talk about."

"Oh, is there? Zelda, you feel the same?"

Zelda stared at Pit. "You're honestly forcing me into this?"

"Seeking for answers- that's hardly hurtful." Pit firmly explained.

Marth sighed. "Throw the best at me."

"First off, both you and Lucina came from that crash without being hurt, barely any trauma on your bodies. I was severely injured, perhaps beyond repair. Zelda and Samus were trapped in the van unconscious. The damn thing was on _fire_ Lowell, burning bright in the sky. The three of us should be dead! And then there's that little matter of how quickly the three of us healed, especially myself. I'm damn happy being alive and all, but this isn't natural Marth! Something between you and Lucina, and maybe even your father happened."

The car stopped dead in the road. Marth turned around to face his friend. "You do not mention my family like that, Pit Jonathan Anderson! Do you hear me?"

Pit gulped. "I'm just asking-"

"Like I said already, there was a person in the middle of the road. I told you to stop, but instead you swerved. We hit a tree, the car started rolling, and in its chaos we flipped over. You were ejected from the car, Lucina and I were the same."

"But-"

"I just told you what happened."

"But-"

Marth pounded the steering wheel. "Dammit Pit! I said we are done talking about it! I am not going to talk about this right now, especially not on the way to Samus's. The memories are painful for her too, you know. Have some human decency for once! I will gladly discuss this at a later point; tonight is not a suitable time." He pulled back up onto the road.

Zelda sighed. "Jesus, you act as if we killed you or something."

Marth gripped the wheel harder so his knuckles turned ghostly white. "Maybe you have..." he whispered softly.

Pit raised an eyebrow. That was an unlikely Lowell response. He bit his tongue, knowing further questions would just be shot down. He burrowed himself closer to the seatbelt, trying to make himself become small and meek. " _I'll get my answers one way or another. There is no point in hiding them from me_."

* * *

Lucina set her pencil down, the ringing of her doorbell disrupting the creative train in her brain. Yawning, she stood and placed her notebook to the side, noting that it was closed like it needed to be. A frantic knock came from behind the door, and a familiar female voice that Lucina knew all too well. It was Zelda's, full of despair of sobs. Lucina wrenched the framed entrance to her house open, shocked to see Zelda Mathingson drooped on her front doorstep in a crumbled, crying heap.

"Zelda!" Lucina exclaimed.

Marth's girlfriend looked up, her face full of grief. Lucina's blood ran cold. Whatever happened at Samus's... it was horrid enough to turn stoic Zelda into a bubbling mess. "Is he home?" Zelda asked, her voice barely rising above a whisper.

The female counterpart of the Lowell twins shook her head in dissent. "No. Isn't he still at Samus's-"

"We all came from Samus's," Zelda interrupted. "He just disappeared. Pit ran off somewhere; I believe he went to his house for something. I took the car to come back here thinking Marth would've gotten back in time. Can I please- please come in?" A hiccup came from the brunette.

Lucina hugged Zelda with firm strength. "More than welcome. Come on." The distraught girl shuffled inside, the door behind her slamming shut. Taking refuge on the couch, Zelda Mathingson laid down, curled up into a ball. A thought ate at Lucina's brain. " _What happened over there?_ "

"Do you believe in ghosts, Lucina?"

"I beg your pardon. What did you just ask me?"

Zelda sat up. "Do you believe in ghosts?"

"What would make you ponder that question?" Lucina frowned, walking slowly over to her brother's soulmate.

"I've been seeing things that aren't truly there-"

"That's moreso just illusions or hallucinations. Perhaps your brain is muddled by the alcohol."

"This has been happening since the crash!" Zelda shouted suddenly, leaping to her feet in a exasperation of rage.

Lucina jumped back, surprised of the sudden outburst. "Wh- Tell me everything."

Zelda wiped a lone tear from her cheeks. "I've been seeing a different reflection of me in the mirror, almost every day. I see it at least four times a day. It haunts me in my dreams. They turn to nightmares, Lucy. She has a withered face of a hag, scaly talons and fangs protruding from her mouth. It frightens me so much. I try talking to Marth about it... but he doesn't listen."

Lucina put her face in her hands, a loose gasp emitting from her throat. She looked up to see Zelda staring, but at what she didn't know. "Your voice makes me think that there's more..."

"I'll be walking down somewhere and the road will vanish. The people, the lamp posts and cars... all of it disappears and is replaced by gold streets, gates, beautiful dresses and robes. I blink, and I'm reverted back to my normal life. And, stranger yet, I had a conversation with my dead grandfather last week. He's been gone for sixteen years, Lucy. How is all of this stuff possible?"

"I have no clue."

Zelda opened her mouth to reply when a loud pounding came back on the door. Lucina whirled around, the noise scaring the wits out of both girls. "Lucina, are you home?" shouted a male voice. Zelda's eyebrows furrowed.

"I think that's-" she started.

"The door is open!" Lucina yelled.

The door flung open to the house, Pit racing in. His hair was in a wild style, ends sticking out like tumbleweeds. His jacket was ripped at the arm, a scar dripping blood alongside his face. An old book was clutched in his hands with a death grip. "Zelda, I must talk to you." he said, running at full speed to the couch.

Zelda's mouth was open. "Pit! What happened to you?"

"Doesn't matter," Pit hurried over the concern. He flipped the book in his hands open. "I stole a book from Samus's library and then raced home to look at the footage I recorded tonight," His finger rested on page thirty, his pointer finger tapping the picture of a familiar medallion. "Doesn't that look awfully familiar to you?"

Zelda frowned. "Yes, but I can't place it..."

Lucina gasped. "That's Samus's!"

Pit nodded. "One of them. Doing a little more digging, I found out that they are called _Penchant_ _Flasks,_ which is an odd name. They are old Russian amulets that have the ability to commune with the dead. You do a spell the wrong way and a demon possess the item rather than you talking with it. It consumes you."

"Further reading proves that anyone who wields this medallion, and comes in contact with the dead... they change their voice to deep pitches or high frequencies. Their eyes also turn emerald green when the spirit is trying to convey a message or escape their host."

"And both of those things happened tonight..." Zelda could barely hold in the vomit.

"Marth is in danger. He hasn't returned to us, and Samus had a particular interesting infatuation or concern with him. I don't know what it is, but we must find him before she does." Pit said.

"Where could we find him?" Lucina asked.

Zelda's phone on the coffee table nearby rang, meaning someone was calling her. The three stared at the cellular device, bile threatening to make an appearance in Pit's throat. The caller ID was Marth.

* * *

Marth hugged his sides tight, the frigid wind sending shudders down his spine. Teasing winds nipped at his shoulders, chilling jeers shouted at him from the sky. His mind went back to what Pit said in the car, how he mentioned that the accident and reasoning behind it wasn't fooling anybody.

"I must tell them. I have to." Marth said to himself.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Zelda's number. Pressing the phone to the nape of his neck, he anticipated all of the possibilities with Zelda's reply. Shouting, cussing, rage supported tears... breakup. Anything seemed possible with the week he had. The static dissipated, and Zelda's voice came on. "Hello?" Her tone seemed weak, feeble... desperate.

"Hey Zel, it's me."

"Oh Marth! Where- where are you?"

"I'm at the crash site," he said, looking around. The area seemed empty, save for a splintered tree from the car fireball. "Look, I need you to come down here with me. I have something I must tell you. About- about the crash."

"Okay. Is it okay if Pit and Lucina-" Zelda started, when suddenly the phone service cut out. His girlfriend's voice cut in and out, before blurring into a screeching howl.

"Zelda, can you hear me? Zelda!" Marth yelled into the phone. The line went dead. He screamed at the sky. The wind gusted through the vicinity, when he heard a soft, yet horror inducing clap accompany the hissing cry of the air. He turned around to see Samus standing behind him, a fitting black and blue blazer donning striking jeans. A katana was placed in her hand, fitting eyes glowing a ghastly, sickening malachite.

"What a brave story for such a egotistical man," Samus said coolly. "How long will it take before you back out of your promise and get everyone killed?" she growled.

Marth took a stance, holding his hands up as if to ward off evil. "Samus, what are you doing here?"

"To make sure my friends are never hurt again, dear Lowell. I mean, you knew it all along... didn't you?"

"Don't do anything rash."

"Nonsense," Samus laughed. "I just want to play a game."

"A game?" Marth didn't like her tone.

"Yes! A game fit for a celebration! I call it, Killing Marth as a Green-Eyed Devil. Doesn't it sound fun?"

"No- no it doesn't."

"Thing is, there aren't any rules! You just kill and go. Sorry, Lowell, but you are through with the lies and deceptiveness. Just die now and I'll go on my marry way."

Unleashing a bloodthirsty cry, Samus leaped in the air. Thrusting the katana down, she aimed straight for Marth's heart.

* * *

Samus shattered another magic shield of Marth's, amaranthine glass going out in all directions before turning into wisps of smoke and broken dreams. Marth coughed, another blow to his defenses and he would lose a majority of his strength, leaving him vulnerable. Samus swung her left fist at his jaw, colliding with the force of a double decker bus. The magician flew into a tree, the air being knocked right out of him. It seemed that defense was futile.

Marth paced backwards, Samus inching closer to him with every step he took. One step of his matched six steps of hers. Willing the plants and leaves to his cause, the bluenette shot a whirlwind of grass and roots at his possessed friend. A low cry came from Samus, one of rough masculinity and bellowing agony. Thinking he had a few moments of opportunity, he imagined firing a piece of a star at her so it would set all the foliage on fire. Exerting power beyond normal capacities, Samus screamed and the shrubbery blasted away.

"Please stop!" Marth cried.

Samus cackled. "You only say that because you are losing."

"No! This- this isn't you! Something has taken control of your mind!"

"Marth!" a third voice screamed.

Spinning around in a twirl of confusion, he saw Zelda, Lucina, and Pit all racing up to him. "Zel, no, don't go any further! Samus will-"

Zelda had already pushed past him, her boyfriend dropping to the ground as he had little strength in him to resist. "Listen to us Sam! You aren't a murderer!"

Samus cocked her head slyly. "We'll see about that." A blink later and everyone would've missed it. Zelda saw it coming from a mile away, and oddly didn't jump out of the way. In a savage manner, Samus drove the katana into Zelda's chest. A bubbling croak came from Zelda's throat as she stumbled to her knees. Blood frothed at her lips, and the wound spilled crimson everywhere.

"NO!" Marth screamed in rage.

Lucina stood next to her brother, understanding in a matter of seconds what needed to be done. Her eyes flashed stormy grey, and the twins simultaneously outstretched their hands so they were levitating Samus off the ground. Pit watched in mortified surprise, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the groaning Zelda nearby. "You will leave Samus Bonnwright alone! You will abandon her body, lest we destroy your soul. Demon, you have no control over her!" the twins spoke together, their voices warping into one of mysterious power.

A guttural scream tore from Samus's lips, and the hold on her released. She dropped, the katana skirting away into the road. Pit raced to her side, while Lucina and Marth checked on Zelda.

"Zel..." Marth's voice did not want to cooperate. His girlfriend was a lost cause. The wound went five inches deep into her sternum, violet leaflets trickling and pooling around her. Whether he wanted to believe it or not, his girlfriend was dying.

"I was foolish enough to think-"

"You weren't stupid, none of us knew what to expect." Lucina soothed.

"Am I going to die Marth?" Zelda asked.

Marth held back the tears. "No... you're doing just peachy."

Zelda smiled, and laid her head back. Samus sat up, clutching her head in an agonized manner. Pit and Lucina locked eyes, having a mutual conversation without even speaking. Marth stroked Zelda's auburn hair, trying to find the light in her eyes. With one last breath, Zelda Mathingson closed her eyes and went limp. The tears couldn't be held back anymore, as Marth collapsed over his girlfriend's body. A simian wail echoed in the night sky.

Zelda Mathingson was dead.

* * *

Ness flipped through Lucina's notebook, amused by several of the drawings. " _Interesting, my dear Lowell twin. What other secrets of late do you keep, Lucina?"_

* * *

 **End of Part III**

* * *

 _"Done!" Zelda announced jubilantly._

 _The whole campfire was silent, save for the crackling of wood and the chirping of the crickets. Pit had his mouth down in agape shock. "You killed yourself!"_

 _"Bet you didn't see it coming!"_

 _"Hell right I didn't. Quite the doozy you put us in." Samus snorted._

 _"Well, now what are we supposed to do?" Lucina complained._

 _"Simple," Marth replied. "We just continue where we left off. Zelda gave us a rather interesting piece of characterization for Ness. Something I know one of you wants to elaborate on..."_

 _"I still need to know why your character is now dead." Pit said._

 _Zelda shrugged. "I could see that it was just time for her to go. Marth and Samus didn't make her all too exciting, and we just needed that one last twist to throw everyone for a loop."_

 _"Which was done very well." Marth complimented._

 _"That's what I'm afraid of." Lucina whispered._

 _"And what would that be?" Samus asked._

 _"If my character gets too bland for this story, will you all just kill her? I mean, that goes for all of us. What's going to happen later on?"_

 _No one could meet her eyes, mainly because no one wanted to. Lucina Weathers had a point, quite a good one at that._

* * *

 **And there we are my fellow readers! Damn, I was so excited to get this out to you all, and I'm terribly sorry about the wait for this chapter. Next chapter won't take too long to get out, I'm hoping no later than Tuesday. I go back to school on the 24th, in twelve more days. *sigh* Sophomore year here I come! So, please review and let me know what you thought of this chapter! Next chapter is #4: Pit. Thanks for reading guys! Love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	4. (4): Pit

**Hello everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a new chapter of Storytellers, #4: Pit. We have only two more chapters of this before we are finished with this story, and then we'll have the ten chaptered sequel next July! I am super stoked for it, but I have to do priorities first, and this is one of my priorities. I just saw Psycho yesterday, the classic 1960 Alfred Hitchcock movie... a damn I'm impressed. Anthony Perkins especially delivered an Oscar worthy performance, with of course Janet Leigh being super in the shower scene. I am inspired to do a fanfiction of it, ha, but it'll have to wait. I've got three stories on my plate, I'm not going back to four. Lord, four stories at one time was the hardest thing on the planet. Last chapter really was a doozy, huh... dead characters and such. If you missed it, go back and check for there are huge SPOILERS ahead. Enjoy chapter four!**

* * *

 _Pit shuddered, holding his sides tight. The raging fire did little to warm his growing uneasiness. "Man, it sure is dark."_

 _Marth scoffed. "Hence the fire, dumbass."_

 _"I meant the story! Not the time of day, asshole! I mean, think about it... black magic, demonic possession... character death-"_

 _The male bluenette sighed, rolling his eyes. "Always a scardey cat." he muttered under his breath._

 _Samus frowned, hearing what Marth uttered. "Hey, seriously-"_

 _"No," Pit interrupted her. "He's right. I am a person who hates this type of stuff. It's a mystery, almost horrific to be perfectly honest."_

 _"Do you wish to be the storyteller now, so we can turn it around?" Lucina asked comfortingly._

 _"Yeah, that's not really realistic. It's just... Zelda dropped us at quite the bomb. Her character is dead, leaving a gap with us four stuck in the balance. Zelda also hinted at Lucina's character being not the sweet, goofy girl we played her as."_

 _"You," Lucina corrected. "Have not played me any which way. That sounds sexual. Not my type of party."_

 _"Someone's got to go next," Marth said, clapping his hands together to disrupt the casual conversation. "I know Lucina is choosing to go last, and Ness will be here by the hour. So, designation falls on Pit. Don't be scared this time. Make the plot meaningful."_

 _Pit blushed, remembering what Marth was referencing. Around two years ago, the story that had been done that year involved buried treasure and assassins. It was literally called The Story of Buried Treasure and Assassins. The storytellers weren't exactly clever with their names normally, there was much more on their mind than the title of the piece. Pit's piece of the tale involved a hopeless love triangle between Roy, Lucina, and himself that lead nowhere. It happened in that one chapter, and then never was mentioned again. He didn't do much with it for he was afraid of the other's reactions. Getting coined as the fire scaredy cat tacked on soon afterwards._

 _The storyteller in question laughed, before mustering a scowl that withered Marth's bones. "You want to have me make this plot meaningful? I'll do that, and you won't forget it," he droned. "Pit Anderson had seen a lot over the last two weeks. Car crashes, people being lifted up off the ground, floating rocks, swords, emerald possessed eyes... each little thing added up. That camera of his was the only screen he saw through, no matter where he went that camera followed. He held it close to his chest, almost so tight it might've caused asphyxiation had it been pressed down harder and longer. However, as time went on, he realized that his camera obstructed much of what he was able to see. There was far better things to view with the naked eye. As he saw it, time was forcing a change. He had to view the world through his own eyes, not a lens. That car crash, added by Zelda's unfortunate death was what he needed. Pit Anderson was ready to be thrown in for a loop, one he never saw coming. With the world coming at him in full force, he stood there helpless as it crashed down on him. It was only a matter of time that he'd be soon getting in the way of everyone else."_

 _..._

* * *

 **Part IV: Pit (One Death, Two Magicians, Three Backstabbers)**

* * *

The morning sun hurt Pit's eyes; bands of bracketed sunbeams that glowed radiating orange danced along his skin, each movement tickling the poor photographer. Marth was lying behind him on his bed, tossing the same old ragged crimson rubber ball in the air. The cacophonous thuds hammered a quicker heartbeat from Pit's chest, causing him to grip the windowsill.

Silence covered the atmosphere of the room in a thick, protruding blanket that made breathing laborious. The two long time friends didn't speak to each other, the chirping of birds and revving of cars filled the empty void. Marth cleared his throat, deciding to hover the ball in the air with his powers. No need to hide them from his friends now, Samus and Pit got an eye load of what he and Lucina could do just the other night. Pit raised an eyebrow, noticing that the thudding had stopped. He turned slowly, afraid of whether or not Marth was doing something considered dangerous. You could never tell with a Lowell.

He saw the ball floating, and sighed. "Please?" Pit pleaded once more.

"No," Marth gruffed. "I don't think it's possible."

"Why not? Just for a day! Oh, the things I could do for a day with those powers!"

"Dude, I have a feeling that what my sister and I have cannot be so easily transferred to others."

"Then, take me to the person who gave them to you in the first place!"

Marth frowned, being reminded of his mother. "That- that wouldn't be for the best. Besides, you aren't like Lucina... and definitely not like me. Requires some special blood domination or something. You'd be burned up in seconds."

"What's wrong with the person who gave your family the powers?" Pit asked. The secrets of the Lowell family had to come out one way or another.

"That very same guy- his name was Ganondorf by the way, killed my mother years later." Marth explained.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"So... like-"

"Pit, just drop it. There is no way, no how, no chance of you getting powers. Lucina and I have had them since we were little, and we both still have a hard time controlling our abilities at instances. You, being a newcomer would probably destroy the world."

Pit's face fell. "That's- wow... rather sucky if you ask me."

Marth smiled, and stood up to hug his friend. "It's like that for the best."

"Umm... do you boys have something you wish to tell us... or what?" Samus's inquisitive voice came from the hallway.

The two broke apart rather awkwardly, blushing deeply. Samus and Lucina stood in the doorway, clad all in edgy shades of black. Pit rubbed his neck. Lucina was grinning. "I mean, her and I can go and leave you two to yourselves if that helps-"

"It was a friendly gesture and that's all!" Marth yipped, running out of the room, mortally embarrassed.

Pit laughed. "He's telling the truth."

Samus wasn't smiling. "Well, Mr. Truther just ran to the car. I suggest you hurry up. We don't want to be late for the service. Zelda may kill us from her ghostly state." She flashed a smirk, knowing well enough that her last statement was more as a joke than full and serious.

Lucina shuffled a foot. "Marth, my father and I did some... 'covering' up if you well. So you guys don't have to be worried about getting asked questions of her death and stuff like that. We played it off as she had been shot from a drive-by, someone was aiming to kill Marth, but hit her instead. Samus isn't under any accusations, and you're just as clean. Good?"

"Sure. Sounds good enough to me." Pit nodded.

In the back of his mind, he knew he was lying. After putting the camera down to see without trouble, he had been opened to much more than what he knew before. Marth and Lucina Lowell were not to be trusted, he understood that at least. To what extent... that's where his trouble lied.

* * *

If you were given the chance to describe Zelda Mathingson's funeral in one word, many would use somber, depressing, loud, antiquated; the list could go on and on. Marth saw it as an opportunity, an opportunity for what he did not know. Sitting in the third pew back from the coffin, he stared emptily back at the portrait of his deceased girlfriend, which was stuck on an easel in front of the wooden structure holding her decayed body. Cheery.

Pain flashed between his eyes, trying to not remember the autumn breeze of her hair, or the gleaming smile followed by a kiss full of passion. She was not be though of in vain, but as a gateway to more- whoever possessed Samus was going to pay. And... he had a pretty good assumption of who did it too. A certain black haired demon by the name of Ness Mortmain. Something struck him wrong about that boy, Marth felt in his soul the first time they met. Ever since he met the stranger, erroneous events kept on happening, and they all involved him. If Marth saw Ness again... this time his friends wouldn't be able to stop him from crushing his throat like he tried doing to Snake all those days ago.

"Now, we will have the boyfriend of Zelda Mathingson, Marth Lowell come up and saw a few words about our dear girl..." the priest on the stage said, breaking Marth from his hypnotic state, his thoughts muddling together. He blinked, seeing how every eye in the church besides his own had landed on him. Small beads of sweat trickled down his face. Urging himself to stand, Marth slowly stood and walked up the stairs to the podium.

Each step felt as if death was behind him, blazing down the aisle in a burning chariot, a spear poised to be thrown into his heart. He could feel sense it. Something was wrong- but it came from his soul.

He tapped the microphone, the static screech causing the congregation to cover their ears in pain. Marth's heart pounded at the speed of sound in his chest, a thundering that resonated with the crash of fifty million cymbals. Each word counted, every syllable could mean the downfall of a country halfway across the world.

"Friends, family, other relatives and companions of Zelda Mathingson... we gather here today to moment and revel in the life of a girl who touched everyone she met. For those of us who knew her and got to see her life, there'd be no doubt in our minds that she was truly the greatest person we'd ever meet. I can speak for me, my sister, and two of my friends that were with her on that night... none of us saw it coming. Being told that the bullet was meant for me stings worse than the foulest insult, burns worse than the strongest wound. My girlfriend took it for me, but what placed her there is not to my knowledge. I miss her. We all miss her. Zelda touched me the most, I've been sewn to her hip for nearly a year now, and then that tear was just ripped away by acts of violence! You'd have thought, you'd have sworn- the car accident should have killed all of us. But, it didn't. A gunshot to the chest did. I'm sorry for everyone's loss, and if I was able to replay that moment over- I- I would be the one to step in and take that bullet. I love you Zelda Mathingson, I hope you never forget it."

The tears cascaded down, Marth Lowell could not hold back. As thunderous applause drowned out his sobs, he made his way to his seat. Pit threw his arms around him in one tight embrace, muffling kind words into the nape of his neck, consonants that fluttered and warmed his skin. A ruffle of hair later, and Marth was alone in his spot, stuck in memories he wished to not endure.

" _You've done good Marth Lowell, you've done good_." he thought to himself.

Across the pew, Lucina stared at her brother, eyes full of glazed over contempt. "Bastard..." she hissed under her breath.

* * *

"That was very heartfelt," Samus complimented Marth as the trio was exiting the church. Sunlight hit their eyes, blinding flashes of white and yellow that resembled the smoky haze of a car crash. "I wanted to cry, but knowing if I did... all the attention on you would be directed to me."

Marth grinned weakly. "Thanks. I had to remind myself over and over again of the story my family told everyone else. Slipping up wasn't going to happen on that stage, in front of that podium, but it may down the line."

Pit stared at his best friend for a moment. " _He's acting very peculiar._ "

"So, now what do you want to do? I have sandwiches made at the house if you and Lucina would like to come for lunch." Samus offered.

Marth looked behind him, then scanned the crowd. "Where's Lucina?"

Pit frowned. "I don't know. She did excuse herself to the bathroom shortly after you finished speaking. Anger was plastered all across her face. I don't know where she is now."

"That girl is always getting lost..."

"Oh there she is! By the tree!" Samus said excitedly, pointing.

Marth followed her finger, indeed seeing the familiar wave of cobalt hair. If his sister was ever on the run for a crime, she'd be caught instantaneously. Her hair was too flashy. Marth squinted, seeing something else that made his blood freeze. Standing next to his sister was Ness Mortmain, smug and caught red-handed. Thinking quickly, the male Lowell bounded down the stairs, ignoring Pit and Samus's cries. All the rage built up over the past two weeks was about to be unleashed, the old saying of hell hath no fury... Marth intended to use that to his full potential.

"HEY!" he yelled, his voice full of hatred and burning fire.

Ness had seconds to turn before Marth had slammed him into the tree, his arm at Ness's throat. "Dude, nice to see you too." he choked out.

Lucina squeaked, removing herself from the spot. "Marth!"

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't bleed you out right here," Marth growled. "I saw you standing in the road, you were there! You flipped the car! You caused this!"

Ness was a blank slate. "Have I done anything other than what I was assigned to do?"

"Marth, what the hell are you going on about?" Lucina asked.

"Don't play that game with me Mortmain. You warned me, told me that I was in danger-"

"Because you are!" Ness gasped.

"No shit! You're the one trying to kill me! You made Pit crash. You possessed Samus, and then killed Zelda. All in your plan to try and cripple me. I'll let you know that it's not working. It's making me more infuriated. I should just kill you now and get it over with-"

"Marth, let go of him! He's done nothing!" Lucina shrieked, wrenching her brother back from Ness. The two siblings fell into the dust, the air being knocked out of Marth's lungs.

When the two of them looked up, Ness Mortmain was gone. The only sign of his presence was a scorched scimitar etched into the tree, his initials right beneath it. Marth screamed, stomping the ground with his foot. Lucina blinked, still unsure of what on Earth was going on- what frightened her the most was her brother.

"Why were you talking to him?" Marth snapped, turning on his sister.

Lucina jumped slightly. "He had listened to your speech, and then came out to ask me about Zelda. He offered his condolences. You must tell what's going on, Marth. You're starting to scare me!"

"Marth, dude are you okay?" Pit's concerned voice rang out.

The two turned to see Samus and Pit racing up to them, the latter out of breath. "You took off in a flash. Something wrong?" Samus asked.

"I thought I saw someone, someone that I have a personal vendetta against," Marth explained. He was lying, but at the exact time he wasn't. "Turns out it was just Lucina waiting for us. Complete misunderstanding."

"Does the sandwich idea still stand?" Pit nudged Samus.

She shrugged. "If you wish."

Marth looked at Lucina. "She offered us lunch. Want to go? Or do you need to be back at the house for anything?"

"Whatever you want." Lucina said.

Marth smiled, turning to Samus. "Sandwiches it is then!"

* * *

"So, how long have you had these powers again, exactly?" Pit asked, setting a plate of PB&J down on the kitchen table in Samus's dining room.

"We've had them for at least seven or eight years, I suppose." Lucina said.

Samus entered, carrying a massive stack of books. "I found these in my library in the basement. Being the daughter of a history teacher in their lifetimes was a good thing, my parents had all sorts of books."

"And what are these for?" Marth questioned, taking a sandwich and stuffing it into his mouth.

"After my... unfortunate possession incident, I've been looking up the type of magic you and Lucina wield. With what you told us in the car about Ness and the car crash, I had a hunch on something. These books are my backup in making sure I'm right."

"If I'm understanding you correctly, a guy named Ness Mortmain approached you at the party two weeks ago and said that you were in danger-" Pit reiterated.

"I wasn't allowed to tell any of you, I was instructed not to." Marth interrupted.

"And since you are doing that now, what do you think is going to happen?" Samus asked.

Lucina shrugged. "Knowing our family and the history we have, probably every bad thing in the world."

"It's one way of looking at it." Marth grinned.

"Ness said someone wanted your powers. Why only your powers? Lucina has them too." Pit said.

"Mine aren't as strong as his," Lucina explained. "He and I combat sometimes, and it's proven how strong he is."

"Perhaps you're just holding back." Marth joked.

A flash of anger flashed in Lucina's eyes, but she smiled warmly, lacing her fingers together. "Perhaps I do."

"We all crashed, but in the middle of the road you swore that Ness was there and he flipped the car on purpose." Pit frowned, trying to remember the night.

"Yes. He wanted me to think someone else was after my gifts, but it's him all along. He tried killing me again by possessing Samus and her medallion. Zelda was just another obstacle in the way of achieving his goal, so he eliminated her. I wouldn't put it past him that he'd try and do it again. Lucina knows it too. Ness Mortmain will do anything and kill anything to get me. And- speaking of the devil." Marth started, his words dying in the back of his throat before his mouth turned into an upright sneer.

"What?" Samus voiced, turning around.

Indeed, speaking of the devil, was Ness Mortmain standing in the crook of the doorway, unimpressed and rather angry. "Hello you guys."

Marth stood, ready to kill the teen, but Lucina griped his arm, holding him back. "What do you want now? Thought maybe killing me upfront was the best."

Ness ignored him, instead taking an interest in Samus. "Sam, I think you should ask your friends to leave."

"Wh-"

"Now." Ness ordered, his eyes shifting to an obsidian black, gleaming with fire.

Marth, Lucina, and Pit all backed up from their chairs, the former of the three not taking his eyes off of him. "I'll be seeing you. Next time we meet, I don't care what you say or do. You'll be going down."

"I'll keep that in mind, thanks for thinking of me." Ness snarked.

Samus heard the door shut, and she closed her eyes. Opening them again, she saw that Ness was sitting in front of her. "Anything of importance you have to do with me?"

Ness sighed. "I came to talk to you. There's a lot I have to tell you."

Samus sat up, piqued at what he could possibly have to tell her. "I'm not in the mood for your bullshit Mortmain. If you have any of that, I suggest you leave too."

"That won't be necessary. This is about your parents."

Samus didn't bat an eye, instead keeping a close eye on the Smasher sitting in her dining room. "What about my parents?"

* * *

Pit kicked a pebble with his boot, the scattering and skipping sound of stone on stone making melodies in his ears. "That was weird."

"I'll say," Lucina agreed. She looked at her brother. "Marth? Marth, Lucina to brother. I'm speaking to you!"

Marth shook his head, dismissing his thoughts away to someplace else. "I'm sorry, what?"

Lucina never got to repeat her statement, as something forcibly smashed itself into the back of Marth's head, and down the male Lowell sibling went. He felt the sticky, coagulated feel of blood wash over his neck and back, hushed footsteps and whispers invading his ears. Lucina began screaming, her voice rising in faint shrieks coupled by a roar coming from Pit. As Marth blacked out, he saw a ball of fire scorch his sister to the ground, and as she fell, fire consumed her.

"Lucina..." Marth could almost formulate her name as another pounding came to his head.

He fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **End of Part IV**

* * *

 _"Good enough for you?" Pit smirked at Marth, throwing a piece of mulch at the other male storyteller._

 _"Seems decent enough."_

 _"Am I dead too?" Lucina chortled. "I haven't even gotten to say my part yet!"_

 _"When does any of our turns actually focus on our character and only our character?" Zelda reminded her._

 _"True." Samus nodded. Somewhere else in the world, the new Rome fell as Samus agreed with Zelda. Weird shit did indeed happen on storyteller nights._

 _"I must say Pit, you've given me my favorite part of the tale!" Lucina praised._

 _Pit blushed. "I try. Marth's kick in the pants was exactly what I needed. Turning Ness into a villain seemed like a plausible choice."_

 _"Who's next?" Marth invited the spot._

 _Lucina opened her mouth to speak when she was interrupted from a voice in the shadows, someone that in their story version was just showing up. "I am, duh. After what you just did to me, how could I not?"_

 _"Wait, how long have you been there?" Marth asked to the darkness._

 _The last storyteller, and perhaps the most crucial of them all emerged from his hiding place. "Long enough to have an idea of what I wish to say." said the stranger. From the shadows, true to his name, the last and sixth storyteller of the night, Ness Park smirked from the trees._

* * *

 **And there we are my fellow readers! Wow, my mind is a little tired after that, I'll let you know. This is where I ended the story off last time if I remember correctly. I was in the process of writing it when I got stuck at the church scene and really couldn't push forward on what else I wanted to write. So then me being the procrastinator I sometimes can be, I stuck it off and then deleted Storytellers back in February. But here we are, past the point of my troubles! I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and I'll genuinely appreciate a review letting me know what you thought. Thanks so much for reading you guys, and I'll see you all with Chapter 5: Ness hopefully before the end of this month. Love you guys!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	5. (5): Ness

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with the fifth chapter of Storytellers, #5: Ness. One more, yes I shall repeat it, one more chapter till we end this thing off and I can focus on other stories *cough Gamemaker's Plan Part II cough* and I'm super duper excited. I am glad to have my faithful Mikaela reading with me, and that stupid site glitch with the views and visitors has been tripping me up quite a lot, since I want my work to be read, no? I mean, I came close to 4000 last month, which I say is a success! Last time, woo boy, we had a lot. It was an eventful, uneventful chapter if that makes any sense. But, of course it doesn't. I'm Paradigm of Writing, nothing ever makes sense in my work. Now that we are on the same page, I can continue on! Enjoy whatever this devilish Ness Park can offer.**

* * *

 _Ness shook off his cloudy black jacket, taking a seat between Marth and Lucina. "So... I only heard pipsqueak Pit over here tell his story, but from what I managed to take away from all of that is basically how we've got some supernatural mystery on our hands."_

 _Marth shrugged. "Pretty much. Any details you want us to cover before you speak?"_

 _A joyful twinkle was in the sixth storyteller's eye. "All of them, if you can spare the time."_

 _Pit's hand rocketed into the air, a silly grin plastered across his face. "I'll take the challenge."_

 _Ness shrugged. "Your funeral."_

 _Pit breathed in and then went into a complete rabid version of himself, words spilling out all over the place. "Marth and Lucina are twins, both having magic powers given to them by their parents when they were younger. They were given to them by this warlock named Ganondorf who actually was a bad guy who killed their mother Peach when both of them were ten. Flash forward another seven years or so later, and Marth is getting ready to go to a party with Lucina, his girlfriend Zelda, and his other friends Samus and Pit. At the party, Marth meets a guy named Ness, who is your character clearly. Your character warns Marth of a person coming to kill him for his magical powers. As soon as Ness says this, a guy named Snake slaps Lucina like his bitch, causing Marth to go all crazy. The other four, Samus, Lucina, Zelda, and I get in the car, drive away and our car is flipped by some person who hasn't been identified yet! Marth has to save Zelda and Samus from the burning vehicle while I am bleeding out all over the grass somewhere else. Soon after, your character tells Roy of the accident, while flashing forward a week later the group minus Lucina is at Samus's house with Samus being some crazy green eyed devil lady who tries killing Marth. Zelda, at the same time has been seeing dead folk and probably some version of heaven, meaning there is something wrong with the tea she drinks in the morning. While trying to save Marth from Samus, Zelda like a silly gets her killed in the process. Lucina and Marth expose their powers, eliciting the demon out of Samus. Flash forward another week later, and there's me begging Marth to give me his powers which I really want, real life of course because levitation would be awesome! Ahem, anyways, it's Zelda's funeral, and Marth speaks very passionately about a lie we all created to save our behinds. Lucina is missing from our quartet, talking to you which gets Marth all ticked off and he tries choking you I assume. Even later, at Samus's house, we are told to get out of her house by you from wherever the hell you came from. While Marth, Lucina, and I are leaving, we get attacked by something strange that seems to have killed Lucina in a ball of fire. That's where we ended off!"_

 _Letting out on heavy gasp, the storyteller who had rather humorously summarized the his and the other three storyteller's pieces, collapsed into the leaves, leaving a bewildered group of five to gape at him. Ness cleared his throat. "One minor detail. Who is Roy in this story?"_

 _"Marth and I's dad." Lucina explained, trying to take her eyes off of Pit who was heaving like a fish._

 _"I don't know why you needed to make the explanation so long," Samus muttered. "And definitely not in the way that make us seem like jackasses."_

 _"Oh, no, you don't look like a jackass." Zelda agreed, smiling at the blonde._

 _"Thank you."_

 _"However, instead of looking like one, you are one." Zelda smirked, ducking under an enraged punch from Samus._

 _"Besides all of our gags and jokes," Marth said, hoping to avert the chaos momentarily, "It is a decent story."_

 _Ness grinned. "I can't let you get away with turning me into a pseudo villain."_

 _A brief flash of a smile came from the male bluenette. "Well... I couldn't help myself."_

 _Pit bounced back to a sitting position. "You do have the opportunity to redeem yourself."_

 _The sixth storyteller couldn't help but laugh. "If you think anything otherwise, then you got caught with your pants down."_

 _Lucina raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like you've got something concocting, don't you?"_

 _"I suppose..."_

 _"Let's do this then! Spill the beans!" Pit exclaimed, sending mulch into the sky with a wave of his arm._

 _Ness cracked his knuckles. "Ness Mortmain, for nearly all of his life, had been misunderstood. By his parents, by his teachers, by his friends, his fellow Smashers... the list could go on and on. He, however used that to his advantage. Someone's misfortune was someone's treasure- in the world that ideal had to exist. He used all of the misunderstanding to his benefit. It made him stronger, but at the same time blurred the line between truth and lie. Ness felt that he was being a person other than what was written in his soul, and it was sickening. It was all because of her, he would say. Eventually, one day... Ness Mortmain would snap. Today felt like a good day to do that. However, to anyone else, that was not the case. It was only a matter of time before Ness would show his true colors. He'd be a ticking time bomb, a never ending, clicking clock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Boom."_

 _..._

* * *

 **Part V: Ness (Black Stained Wings Mixed With Bitter Crimson Blood)**

* * *

" _Tonight feels like a great time to screw with someone, doesn't it?_ " Ness thought to himself, overlooking the grand party taking place down below him on the hill. Booming speakers drowning out all other sounds droned on, chuckles full of drunken banter chorused together with singing making the atmosphere rather bubbly. Scanning the crowd, he searched for the perfect subject. His eyes lit up on Samus Bonnwright, the cautious blonde looking very out of place amid all the partiers. Soon his gaze fluttered over to the precious Lucina Lowell. " _She sure knows how to call attention to herself. I'll commend her that. Man, her blood will look good on my sleeves. About time I spruce this black leather up a bit, shall I_ _?"_

However, his attention was diverted by the sound of raucous laughter coming from his left. Ness turned his head to the disturbance, a wicked smile encompassing his lips. "Perfect..." he whispered.

Robin Dewitt and Sheik Mansion were both nineteen, a happy couple soon to be married whenever autumn transitioned to winter. At a stocky height if 5'11, coupled with a muscular frame that could snap a bus in half, Robin Dewitt was nothing to sneeze at. The guy was truly threatening. Ness knew better to directly fight the guy, but his girlfriend may have been a different story. The two were kissing, not caring whom was watching them. Sheik's sunbeam hair laced her back lightly, while her face was clouded by Robin's wave of marshmallow. Ness cleared his throat, causing the two lovebirds to break apart.

Robin scowled. "Dude?"

Ness couldn't help but grin. "Don't you know that its dangerous to roam at night?" His eyes flashed dangerously, fire threatening to jet from his corneas.

Sheik laughed. "I'm sorry, but who are you again?"

"Your worst nightmare." came Ness's reply.

Out of nowhere, Robin began convulsing. A low growl came from the guy's throat as he collapsed into a mess of limbs and sounds. Sheik screamed, being pushed back by some invisible energy. Ness stepped closer and closer to the couple, letting Robin's transformation finish its course. Sheik started undergoing the same procedure, sharp needles of pain stabbing her in the back. She shrieked, before snapping backwards inhumanely with a sickening crack. Blood laced Robin's face as he stood, his normal, cheery diamond eyes reverted an edgy onyx. Sheik came to stand next to her boyfriend, every feature visibly darkened.

"Good," Ness sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful." Sheik said sarcastically.

"Rather painful procedure if you ask me." Robin snapped.

Ness rolled his eyes. "Follow me. I don't have time to listen to your complaints."

The two hastily followed him, trying to not utter a word. A few sideways glances were expected, especially when you had two human-demon hybrids right at your heels. Ness held a hand up, Robin and Sheik halting behind them. " _He's here somewhere..._ " Ness thought, his eyes piercing through the mob of people. He found his prize, poor Marth Lowell standing in prime vulnerability.

"Is that him?" Sheik snarked.

Robin scoffed. "He doesn't look like much."

"That's because there truly isn't anything to him," Ness agreed. "Are we here to help him, you think?"

"That's bullshit," Robin scowled. "We are not here to help him."

"Kill him sounds like a better alternative..." Sheik mused happily.

"How does it feel to be part human?" Ness asked, ignoring the former's crazed suggestion.

"Disgusting." Robin spat.

"Not too bad," Sheik positively put a spin on it. "Better to realize you're half demon first, then the nasty mortal side afterwards."

"How shall we approach this?" Robin questioned.

"However you wish you choose to approach it," Ness replied. His gaze flickered down to the gravel, then back up at Marth. "Actually, I suggest finding _her_ and giving a status report. I'll do the groundwork before we take another step forward. Sound good?"

"Anything's good, especially when it comes to dealing with that piece of shit." Sheik hissed.

"Great!" Ness answered with relish. He cracked his knuckles. Tonight was going to be fun.

* * *

"Any second now..." Robin whispered, trying to cover himself with the gale of the trees.

Sheik rolled her eyes. "Marth will die eventually. His strength is sapping out of him slowly."

"My hold on her is rather strong," Ness commented. "I know boss didn't want my grip to be extremely powerful, but with it being Samus Bonnwright, I couldn't resist." The demon leader paused his musings to spectate the ongoing fight between Samus and Marth.

The Lowell magician held his hands up in defense, an amaranthine barrier blocking blows from Samus's sword. For nearly twenty minutes, the demonic trio watched the two go out, noticing the restraint that Marth was using against his friend. " _He can do so much more, yet he is holding back... why?_ " Ness pondered, when the fight was disrupted by a screaming voice.

"Oh, look who decided to show up..." Sheik dolled. As her words left her lips, the trio of Zelda Ryder, Pit Anderson, and Lucina Lowell burst onto the scene.

"This should be interesting." Robin said to no one in particular.

"You're not a killer!" came from an distraught Zelda in the midst of the heated duel. Ness closed his eyes, the stupid girl's fate had been sealed.

Samus's weapon disappeared into the other girl's chest, causing Marth to roar in anger. Lucina stepped up together with her brother, their hands outstretched. Ness raised an eyebrow. " _This is... unexpected._ " A stabbing aneurysm built in his forehead, and he hissed, blending back into the trees as he felt his hold on Samus be ripped away. A clot of blood appeared on Ness's palms, and he watched as Samus dropped to the grass, Pit rushing to her side.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sheik frowned.

Ness tore his eyes away from the scene, there was no need to watch. "I guess our work is done here."

"What do we do now?" Robin demanded from his leader.

"Absolutely nothing. Wait till further instruction," Ness shrugged. "I'll be back at my place if you need more help on acting human."

Sheik waited till Ness vanished, keeping an eye out for the quintet nearby. "Shit... that didn't end how we wanted it to."

"Now what?" Robin asked his partner.

"Screw being the boss's favorite," Sheik snarled. "Let's take matters into our own hands."

"Boss won't be happy about that." Robin countered.

"Like I give a hell what _she'll_ think. She'll be so proud of us when we're done, we'll have no other choice, but to be rewarded." Sheik pointed out.

As the two vanished into the shadows, back in the clearing where Lucina watched her brother cry over Zelda's body, she paused. Swearing she heard voices, she looked back to where the demonic trio had been standing moments before. Frowning, Lucina averted her focus back to the pressing matter at hand. Someone just killed Zelda, and it wasn't her hand that did it. Something was happening out of her control.

* * *

Robin looked over the bush. "They are now just coming down the street. Wait till they pass us?"

"Duh," Sheik snarked back. "What do you think we were going to do? Just leap out in front of them like stupid gits?"

"I was just voicing my opinions out loud."

"I'd appreciate if you didn't do that, thanks."

The two demons froze, hearing the sounds of three pairs of footsteps slowly approaching their position. Lucina and Pit's voices were the most distinguishable, meaning they'd be the easier two to keep off guard. It was Marth Lowell they were worried about. Robin gripped the iron crow bar he had in his hands tighter, his eyes replaced with the look of bloodlust. Sheik willed herself to burn, letting a tiny fireball sprout from her fingertips. Nothing like a little pyromaniac to light up the day.

"Now!" Robin yelled, leaping out from the shrubbery.

Connecting the crowbar to the back of the male Lowell's head, Marth slumped down to the ground, a painful cry bursting outwards. Blood pooled down his dress shirt, murky crimson puddles filling up the street. Pit yelled, before getting a fist to the face knocking him out cold. Lucina turned to run, screaming the whole way as she raced away. Sheik rolled her eyes. Death wasn't exactly on her mind. Bending low like a pitcher, she threw the fireball at the female Lowell, cackling in pleasure as the inferno consumed the girl, causing her to fall into deep sleep as soon as her blue hair hit the concrete. Silence enveloped the world again, as if the quick encounter hadn't even happened.

"Robin, we said no blood." Sheik hissed, noticing the deep river of life pouring out of Marth's wound.

The aforementioned demon smiled sheepishly. "Brute force is always helpful?" he suggested weakly.

"Let's take them to Ness before anyone else shows up. I have a feeling boss won't be too happy of us when we get back..." Sheik muttered, picking up Lucina like she was a ragdoll.

* * *

Ness smirked, letting Samus's expression do all the talking. "Now, if you don't want me to tell you, I'll gladly excuse myself-" he started.

"No, no, please stay! What did you want to tell me about my parents?" Samus said hurriedly, quickly plopping the demon back into his chair.

"I am not so sure you could handle the truth."

"Try me."

"Are you sure of that?"

"What else can I possibly lose?" Her voice was genuine, one that took Ness aback for a few moments. This girl clearly and stubbornly wanted to learn about her past, and when it came to her parents there was no exception to be had.

Ness pursed his lips, and wiped the sweat of his palms off on the kitchen table. "You know of Marth and Lucina's extraordinary gifts, correct?"

Samus nodded. "Who wouldn't?"

"You know who gave them those powers?"

"Some guy named Ganondorf. He was a warlock that turned rouge and killed their mother."

"What group did Marth and Lucina's parents belong to?" Ness asked.

Samus racked her brain trying to think. "Erm... I think they were called the Smashers. What- what exactly does that mean?"

"The Smashers is an ancient organization of demon hunter," Ness explained. His face blanched. "So, basically, they hunt people like myself if we do things that are considered illegal. Killing humans is one of them." he smiled.

"And how about possessing people?" She didn't bat an eye.

"I suppose that too," Ness admitted gravely. "I can't get into the details about it."

"But, what does this have to do with my parents?"

Ness frowned, surprised that the girl wasn't making a single connection. "Your mother and father, Rosalina and Ike Bonnwright were Smashers. Just like Roy Eliwood and Peach Eliwood, the same as Marth and Lucina. They all belonged into the same group of people- one order of fighters to destroy a demon population from causing the end of the world as we know it. And since your parents belong to the Smashers, so do you..." he trailed off.

Samus let that sink in, before jolting from her chair. Her mouth was agape, a frozen finger pointing at him in stunned shock. She belonged to a demon hunting cult that could possess magical powers. It seemed rather awesome hearing it for the first few seconds, till crippling nausea overtook her. She leaned against the table for support, unable to form words.

"No! That's impossible! No way..." Samus gasped. "My parents were as normal as anyone else."

"That's the issue," Ness said. "Your parents only led normal lives to not bring harm to you. However, that whole accidental death of your mother and father... that was strict Smasher business. They were sent into a battle, one that was a suicide mission. They knew what they were getting into together, but as long as you were left out of the mix, it was fine."

"How would you know this?"

A gentle twinkle flashed between the demon's eyes. "I have _my_ ways."

Samus shuddered, not exactly liking the suggestiveness in his voice. "Then-"

"Any lie your parents have told you was to protect you. This house is paid for by the Smashers, they watch over you in a very strange sense," Ness explained. "How about that katana that lies outside by the patio?"

"What about it? It just is a sword passed down a long time ago by families I can't remember anymore. It's also the weapon I tried killing Marth with..."

"That katana actually has a name, called Falchion. It's a very powerful blade that can splinter singular atoms, as well as wipe out supernatural creatures with one flick of a wrist. You are lucky that even in your possession that the blade was able to be held by your hand, otherwise it would've severed off your left hand. It was the Smasher's blood inside you that kept you from dying."

"And who else knows this?"

"None of your friends, that's for sure."

"Anything else shocking you wish to tell me? Be careful, I may go into cardiac arrest..." Samus warned.

Ness sat on the table, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. "There's one tiny thing I forgot to mention to Marth and Lucina..."

Samus stood up, her body tense. Ness's tone of voice wasn't what some people would call comforting. "What information are you exactly talking about?"

"The Smashers have a prophecy, one that has haunted the group for years," Ness cleared his throat. "In a roundabout way, it mentions the destruction of the world by a Lowell twin, a descendant of Roy's bloodline. Everyone believed it was Roy himself that the prophecy talked about, and it never came about."

"What do you mean by it never coming about?"

"This destructive order of events happens whenever the individual turns eighteen. For Marth and Lucina Lowell, as they are both twins, turn eighteen together on the same day. One of them, and it specifically states in the prophecy that it is the children of the parent who it deals with, will, once they use their powers have the destructive force of a hydrogen bomb. There are other little tabs here at play, obviously, so the power may not be as strong as perceived."

"And I'm concerned with this how?"

Ness's lips tightened into a grim smile. "The prophecy states that the offender in question must be killed. It isn't allowed to be cut around any which way. The last time the Smashers forgot to fulfill a prophecy, World War I erupted across three continents and became the bloodiest conflict on the globe. They wish to not make the same mistakes."

"Neither would I," Samus agreed, discomforted. "But... still, why am I concerned with it? I get it, we may all die and yadda yadda, but I hear that on a regular day-to-day basis from my chemistry teacher."

"The killing," Ness stated simply. "Every prophecy that requires the death of an individual... the death must be done by a fellow friend of that Smasher, and that fellow friend has to have the blood of one as well. Whether it is Marth or Lucina... it has fallen upon the Bonnwright family to eliminate whichever twin becomes the one that the prophecy is speaking of."

"I am very well at hearing, but may you run that by me-" Samus started.

Ness looked at the clock on the wall. "Oh, I am so terribly sorry to cut off this arbitrary meeting. I must be off. I sense that my friends have done something _terrible_."

Before Samus could blink, the demon disappeared in a plume of sulfur and ash. As she stood, staring at where Ness was moments before, one thought raced through her mind. " _I have to kill Marth or Lucina on their birthday. That's in two days_ _..._ "

* * *

Marth growled, trying to break the rope that tied his hands behind his back. Lucina, who was held against him from the other side tried sawing through them with a wooden chip. Pit, locked in a straightjacket on the other side of the room, shook and bit to no avail. Robin and Sheik stared at the trio in amused laughter, knowing very well how the evening was going to end.

Sheik stepped forward. "So... we have the Lowell twins..."

"And their scared ass sidekick." Robin joked, walking around Pit who stared at the demon with bugged eyes.

"You know... I don't think Marth has confessed," Sheik trailed off. "I'm surprised he's hidden this from his own sister of all people."

Lucina broke from struggling. "Tell me what Marth?"

Robin gripped the girl's chin, startling her half to death. "Your brother has been a very bad boy... so bad that he needs to be punished."

Marth gulped, the tone of the word punish leaving many, _many_ thoughts inside his brain. The two demons rejoined at the foot of the room, an old abandoned warehouse by where the party on the eventful night had taken place. Pit moved over a tad bit closer to the twins, hoping that maybe there'd be something they could do. "Umm... guys," Pit whispered quietly. "It'd be amazing if you both could use those powers of yours right now."

Lucina hissed. "I'm trying, but nothing's working! Marth?"

"Same."

"Shit." Pit cussed under his breath.

Robin raised a playful eyebrow. "Oh, how sad. The magic has run out, hasn't it? Where are your Smashers now?" he taunted.

Sheik grinned. "Perhaps they'll show their cowardly faces if we burn the information out of them," A wispy ball of orange fire licked her fingertips, a crazed smile dancing across her face. "How about a little fire?"

The fireball went screaming down towards the duo, erupting around the chairs that held Marth and Lucina together. Pit yelped, ducking as a random flame leapt towards him. A small droplet of cardinal heat lapped the straightjacket, the photographer trying to blow out the fire. Lucina shrieked, grunting as the chair went scooting back a few feet.

"I'd appreciate some help over here!" Pit yelled.

"We're trying!" the twins shouted in unison.

Robin laughed. "I think they want us to extract more out of them!" Another sphere of blazing crimson arose from his palm. The life flashed between Marth's eyes as the fireball came shooting closer and closer to his face. Closing his eyes, Marth waited for the burning sensation to swamp his senses. A cooling feel washed over the twins, and he opened his eyes, surprised to see that the fire around him had evaporated. Lucina wheezed behind him, seeing the same.

Sheik and Robin were both glaring at an unforeseen person in the room, whomever they were looking at it being shrouded in darkness. "You just had to ruin the fun, didn't you," Robin hissed through gritted teeth. "We were having so much fun."

Emerging from the shadows, Ness Mortmain stood formidably in the warehouse. His face was not happy. "Actually, I had to. Our plan did not involve kidnapping our targets and burning them to a crisp. _That_ was not in the plan. What would the boss think?"

"Who the hell cares what the boss would think?" the other male demon argued.

Ness let him think. "We'd have a very happy leader, because one of our most idiotic peons would be gone." Before Robin could reply, Ness jabbed a knife straight into Robin's chest, the demon vanishing in a cloud of sulfur black. Sheik jumped from beside him, watching in mere seconds as her boyfriend from hell was gone by a simple stab.

"Umm... what is he doing?" Lucina whispered to her brother.

Ness walked up to Sheik, and he didn't have to say anything. The female demon understood exactly what was being indicated, and she fled from the room. The atmosphere of the warehouse immediately became less intense, as if some terrible pressure had been released off of their shoulders. Ness faced the trio, and with one swipe of his hands, the bonds came falling off on Marth and Lucina's hands.

"We didn't need your help." Marth growled, rubbing his wrists.

"Who are you exactly?" Lucina asked.

Marth cut the demon off before he even got a chance. "His name is Ness Mortmain. He's a demon. He's tried killing us a few times."

Ness smirked. "Au contraire, Marth Lowell, but I just saved in. Now, before you ask any questions, I need to teleport you back to your house. Your father, Roy, wishes to speak to you."

Pit stared helplessly as the trio: Marth, Lucina, and Ness warped together in a cloud of black, leaving him all alone in the warehouse, still tied up by the straightjacket. "Umm... guys?" he called out hopefully.

* * *

 **End of Part V**

* * *

 _"Not bad for someone who has been filled in, huh?" Ness smirked, eyeing the rest of the group._

 _Zelda let out a heavy sigh. She wiped her brow. "Wow... that was honestly really good. You just had a blast with that, didn't you?"_

 _The male storyteller couldn't resist a smile. "Yes, I rather did."_

 _"I liked it," Samus said. "He made his character out to be a two-timer. Good twist having my family be from the same background, actually. Although..."_

 _"Although what?" Ness quipped, raising an eyebrow._

 _"I don't know," Samus frowned. "Something was on the tip of my tongue and I forgot the rest."_

 _"Typical Samus." Pit joked. He was met with a handful of mulch to the face._

 _Marth sat forward. "I think we all know who is next to go. It's the last storyteller of the night."_

 _All the eyes around the campfire fell upon Lucina who shuddered. "Good god. You make it sound like I'm going to my funeral."_

 _"You very well may be." Pit admitted honestly._

 _A joyful light was in Marth's eyes. "Are you ready Lucina?_ _"_

 _The female storyteller nodded, the same intensity matching in her own eyes. "More ready than I'll ever be. Let's go."_

* * *

 **And there we are guys! Chapter numero cinco of Storytellers is complete, Mr. Ness Park. I hope that this chapter has opened your eyes up to the possibilities and theories that can be spawned with this tale, and that it is now Lucina's turn to lay us the cheese and lettuce (honestly, I don't know what the hell I'm going for now. You should all be used to it, actually.) There have been some hints that Lucina isn't the sweetest candy in the bag, but perhaps may be sour. Sound off your predictions in a review below, and I'll be sure to have Chapter 6: Lucina out before the end of this month because school has thrown a wretched wrench in my schedule. Thanks for reading guys, and I love you all!**

 **~ Paradigm**


	6. (6): Lucina

**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with the sixth and final chapter of Storytellers, it's Miss Lucina! I have been oh so super stoked for this chapter, and I'm rather happy to have gotten this entire tale down in about two months given the length of chapters was rather verbose *glances at Chapter One haplessly with a nervous laugh*. I want to thank you all for making this my favorite piece of the summer, even moreso than Policies in Detention which was fun too, I'll admit. Once I am finished with this, I probably won't drabble again in Smash till the spring because of some stories I have in the Hunger Games fandom that needs to be addressed. I hope that this explosive finale makes you hunger for the sequel, which will be coming no later than** ** _next_** **summer because something called My Life takes over. If you haven't heard of it yet, it's called Creationists featuring a 10 chapter story with the heads including Kuro, Ganondorf, Roy, and Lyn. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _The campfire was quiet. Time had come once again to close a story that had its ups, it had its downs, and it held everything else in between as well. Although the numbers certainly did not match last year, the tag team group of six managed to suffice on their own a tale of interesting proportions. The last storyteller, Lucina Weathers, eyed the others with a quiet gaze. "You know... it sounds like all of these stories are the same. Even though someone else is speaking something different each time, and focusing a tad bit on other characters at points, we've all muddled up the generic responses."_

 _Marth smirked. "Well, then make a new one."_

 _"Perhaps there aren't any," Lucina shot back. "Maybe every single story is the same, told over and over again."_

 _"That's impossible." barked Samus._

 _"Honestly, you are making no sense." Pit admitted._

 _Lucina rolled an eye. "But... like Marth always says... everyone's got a story, no?"_

 _"She's not wrong." Marth said with a shrug, agreeing a full hundred percent._

 _An evil glint glowed in the female storyteller's eye, as her navy hair blew from an invisible wind. "There's only one left to tell then, correct? Mine."_

 _"Do you think she'll end it fully or have us continue next year on a cliffhanger?" Pit whispered to Ness._

 _Ness frowned. "Whichever the case may be, I believe Miss Weathers has left us a treat."_

 _The last storyteller to speak cleared her throat, the fire seeming to shrink in her presence. At that very moment, she was powerful. "Lucina Lowell knew what it meant to be second. She played second fiddle to everyone in her life- to her best friend at school, her father, even her own brother. Constantly she'd be subjected to scrutiny, of why she wasn't acting like Marth; her brother was the epitome of perfect whilst she played the epitome of a failure. But, oh how everyone was wrong about her, oh so wrong. Lucina Lowell knew exactly what she was doing. People always undermine second place, no one expects anything wild to come from them. All of that was going to change, sure enough and surely. All Lucina needed was the perfect scene, to let everyone see how awesome she was. She was dark, she was powerful, she was a radiating magic queen that everyone would bow down to. It's a shame no one saw it before it happened. Here's her story..."_

 _..._

* * *

 **Part VI: The Lowell Twins**

* * *

Marth rested a page down against his thumb, biting his lip. The events of the past couple days ran over and over again in his mind. Two demons seeming to be under the subject of Ness had jumped them, yet he didn't even have the power like Marth had expected him to have. It was just strange how Ness constantly appeared before or after moments of trouble, and what normally followed was disastrous to say the least.

"Hey, why are you still up?" a voice asked from the staircase.

The male Lowell looked away from his book, seeing Lucina leaning against the banister of the second floor. The girl was dressed in her night clothes, suave and girlish rosy pajamas decorated with flowers and the like. Marth's heart warmed at the sight of his sister, and immediately threw his arms around her in a hug. There was nothing on the planet he hated worse than watching his own flesh and blood be subjected to a torture that they couldn't escape. He had brought on all this turmoil; it was up to him to end it, no matter what the consequences. Anyone who got in his way would pay severely, as it only impeded in him saving everyone later on.

Lucina broke from the hug, still rather shocked from his sudden embrace. "You never answered my question. It's nearly one in the morning, you should be asleep."

Marth quirked an eyebrow. "I should be asking you the same thing, shouldn't I? Why aren't _you_ asleep as well."

"Because I had trouble doing so. Simple as that. From what I saw, you were busying yourself with work of some kind." She pointed to the chair where he was sitting.

"That's nothing."

Lucina pondered for a moment, tapping against her chin. "You know Marth, I have all day tomorrow to buy you something for our birthday so I was wondering if there's anything in particular you would like."

"That's honestly sweet of you, but I cannot pinpoint a singular item at my discrepancy," Marth smiled. "Why don't you surprise me?"

Her eyes twinkled with the sheen of gold glitter. "I like that idea. Have you decided on what you wanted to get me?"

"Actually I have! It's here in my pocket, I was going to go upstairs and give it to you, but since you're standing right in front of me there's no time like the present!" Marth jubilantly exclaimed, digging into his pants pocket. After rummaging around for a bit, he pulled out a bracelet. Lucina's eyes widened, her heart welling in her throat.

"Oh..." she whispered.

Marth grimly nodded. The bracelet was a gorgeous amaranthine color dripped in a cerulean and pink solution. It was their mother's before she died, and the Smashers had given them the token back as a sign of respect. Having hid it from Roy, Marth kept it to give to his sister when they both turned eighteen. "Yeah... I know. It's Mom's. I kept it ever since we got it back since her funeral. Legend has it that it sometimes warms the skin whenever her presence is in this world. I haven't had that happen to me yet, so I don't believe it, but who knows." He linked it around her wrist.

"Thank you," Lucina breathed. "It's beautiful."

"I was honestly concerned that you wouldn't have wanted it... considering-" Marth trailed off, before she interrupted him.

"No, don't think that. I love it, of course I would. You're my brother for goodness sake," she threw him into another hug. "I'd be silly for not liking something this special. Of course I'll cherish it. Again, thank you Marth. I appreciate it."

"And... since I have seen you doodling in this like crazy, I saw it lying around down here and was going to place it by your bedside," Marth said, reaching for the chair and revealing what he had been looking at. It was Lucina's notebook. Her heart stopped momentarily, as Marth gave her back the item. "You draw really good, actually. Maybe you should consider seeing a future as an artist if being a Smasher doesn't work out." he complimented her.

Lucina broke off her thoughts, nodding feverishly. "Yeah... thanks. I try my hardest," she said. " _Good. He didn't see all of the other drawings..._ "

Marth rubbed his chin. "Well, I'll be back up to bed in a few minutes. I think you should go to sleep."

"Of course. See you in the morning." She ran back upstairs.

He watched her go, noticing how tense she was when she grabbed the notebook. He shrugged. " _Probably nothing_ _. Man, Lucina can sure be strange sometimes though... I swear._ "

* * *

Ness was waiting for her when she got to her room, he had been impatiently perched on her bed for nearly five damn minutes. Lucina talked way too long with her brother sometimes, golly. He smiled when she entered, which caused her to jump as she was not half expecting him. The silence was awkward, as was all their meetings because Ness liked to uphold a lie that he was in charge, while it turned out it was more skewed then at first glance.

Lucina swiped a hand across her face, the door to her bedroom closing shut. The lit candle on her dresser burned out as a gust of black wind froze the wick in its place. The lights in the room dimmed, drowning the magician and demon in a cloud of darkness, causing the latter to grin wickedly. Even though the demon of the two was gleefully smiling like a toddler, the one who ran the show was rather the opposite.

"What are you doing here?" Lucina hissed. "Are you crazy? Marth might catch you."

"I am actually hoping he would. It'd make for an amazing story: Marth Lowell goes insane by beating a random street kid into oblivion," Ness said. "You can picture the headlines now," he eyed the bracelet on her wrist. "What's that?"

Eyes flickered to the aforementioned piece of jewelry. "Oh... it's something that he just gave me. Actually it belongs to my mother." She visibly winced at the remark.

Ness laughed. "It's fine, that is rather nice of him," he admitted. He clasped his hands around her waist. "Too bad he'll be watching a blade sink into his chest tomorrow, though. I mean, such a shame to ruin such a wonderful craft dedicated to the life of a deceased family member." He kissed her, passionately and deep.

Smells of lavender and sulfur clashed in a wave of pleasure, and Lucina carefully skittered to the bed, knocking the two into a pile of warm sheets and covers. She kissed him back, letting one hand rest quietly against his chest. "Best part is that he doesn't suspect anything."

"Of course he doesn't. It's your brother we're talking about. He _is_ on the other hand having nightmares. I haven't been able to delve deep into them yet, and might not get to. He's troubled... but of what I do not know."

"Ness, why couldn't you have waited longer? I will be able to see you in the morning," Lucina kissed him again. "But... at the moment it does sound rather nice to have some company..."

The demon chuckled darkly, running a hand through her hair, so he could see the darkening piece of her eyes- two evil, brilliant eyes of hazel glow. "When I look at you, I see a powerful magician, a destroyer who will let anyone bow to her... it's very attractive."

"None of the Smashers suspect that your a demon?" she asked concernedly.

Ness smirked. "Not a single one," he said aloud. " _And nor do the demons of my true allegiance,_ " he thought to himself. " _And nor do you._ "

The room got even darker, and Lucina kissed him once more. "You should go before Marth comes up here. I've got something I need to prepare for anyways..." she said trailing off.

He understood, he always understood. After all, Ness Mortmain was just the lapdog. "I'll see you tomorrow, great big ball of sunshine." he teased. Throwing his jacket over his shoulder, the demon vanished into the shadows, leaving Lucina by herself in the bedroom. She grinned wickedly at the notebook on her dresser, all the pictures coming back to her.

" _I know exactly what I'm going to do. Oh Samus..._ "

* * *

Pit trudged out of bed, the innocuous ringing of the doorbell stirring him from his sleep. He was having a very interesting dream of a camera contest involving peanut butter, butterflies, and the Grand Canyon. Why some asshole had to go and ruin it for him was something he could not understand. Yawning, he glanced lazily at the clock against the wall, the time reading 1:48 A.M. Holy... whomever decided to get him up quarter to two in the morning needed a damn good reason as to why. Things like that were very disconcerting to him.

He wrenched the door open, somewhat haphazardly throwing on a pair of glasses he used in the mornings before his eyes adjusted to the light outside. He was half ready to chew the person outside for even daring to do such a dangerous move, but the words of rage died in his throat as his image of the annoyer was replaced by a shivering Samus dripping wet from the storm currently raging.

"Samus! Oh, um..." he exclaimed in surprise. "Sam, it's two in the morning. Why are you here?"

Despite the shuddering, the mentioned girl kept a stoic expression. "I need to talk to you. Right now."

She walked straight on, not waiting for an answer from the photographer who blinked as she walked past. "Hello to you too." he muttered.

Samus dropped her hood, not minding how many puddles she made with her raincoat. "I'm sorry I haven't talked to you sooner about this, but I'm seriously in trouble," she reached into his refrigerator ignoring Pit's cries of why she wasn't asking, and pulled out a Dr. Pepper. Opening the can, she took a sip. "It's about what Ness told me after you all left."

Pit shuddered this time, even though he wasn't out in the rain like she had been. He hated his name, normally it gave him flashbacks to fireballs and demons with obsidian eyes. "What about it?"

Another swig of the carbonated drink, and the female of the two picked her fingernails. "This is going to sound absolutely crazy, but you need to hear me out."

"Go ahead."

"My family, my parents moreso than anyone else, were Smashers. Y'know, the group that Marth, Lucina, and Roy belong to? Yeah... them."

"Oh. So... you're a demon killer?"

"Pretty much," Samus shrugged. "It's been hidden to me my whole life. My whole life. And, since my parents are deceased, I've been out of the loop in Smasher business, but now it practically showed up at my doorstep."

Pit grinned. "It's actually shown up at _all_ of our doorsteps, with Marth and Lucina getting a band of demons wanting to kill them," he wrinkled his nose. "Simple stuff."

"There's more to it than you think."

"How so?"

"Ness told me of this prophecy. Every few years- he didn't exactly give me an increment per say, the Smashers have some fable that can bring upon the end of the world or some cataclysm. This new one that has come up in the last couple years... it deals with the Lowell's..."

"You mean... Marth and Lucina?" Pit asked in stupefaction.

"Yes," Samus nodded. "This prophecy essentially says that when they both turn eighteen, one is going to become extremely powerful and the other is going to be looking like Mother Teresa. Whomever is the god of all magic is going to become mad with power, like all dictators and fascists do. That individual has the ability to destroy the world. And it's going to be either Marth or Lucina, after the party ends tomorrow..."

"That sounds like garbled fantasy," Pit pointed out. "How can you trust Ness, who for all we know is a liar? How can you believe any of this?"

"The last time a prophecy had failed to be intercepted, World War I started when Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot in Bosnia." Samus said simply, as if it was the regurgitation of a vocabulary word in biology.

Pit blinked rapidly, as if the news was too good to be true... except the news wasn't good to begin with. "Oh... yeah, that's not good."

"There's more."

"Of course there is."

"Depending on which of the two becomes stronger... that Smasher has to be killed."

A stabbing pain hit Pit's heart and he winced, feeling as if time stopped to a halt. Kronos in his dead grave hidden under Mt. Olympus must've been turning in his grave. "They cannot be serious. One of them- one of them is going to die?"

"And that's not the worst part." Samus's eyes flickered to the floor.

"How? Losing one of our closest friends is the worst thing on the planet!" Pit shouted.

"The prophecy states that a friend of the people in question must do the deed," Samus said. "It can't be just anyone either. It must be done by a Smasher. And, with the newly discovered news of me being a Smasher and that I'm Marth and Lucina's friend...-"

Pit finished the puzzle before her, almost crying out in shock. "The prophecy is talking about you."

Samus grimly shook her head in assent. "I have to kill either Marth or Lucina before their eighteenth birthday."

"That- that's impossible."

"If _I_ don't do it, _someone_ else will. And I have a pretty damn good feeling it's going to be Ness who'll take up that job as he has had his head appear everywhere in this whole situation. It must be done Pit. What other choice do we have?"

"We don't." Pit admitted.

"I hate it just as much as you do. I don't want to have to do it... but there's no other option unless heavenly forces intercede us which I doubt will happen granted what has led to this point." Samus frowned.

Pit recovered from his quiet state of concentration and stood in front of Samus, their bodies almost touching. "Look, I just don't want you getting hurt, okay?"

"I have gathered that-"

"No, I'm serious," he sighed. "Samus... I don't think you realize how much you mean to me. I- if something we're to happen to you..." Pit didn't want to finish that. He actually never got to finish his statement.

Samus grabbed him by the waist and kissed him, cutting the poor photographer off in a quick shush. At first, the intimate action was unexpected, causing the two to stumble to the floor in a mess of awkwardness. Pit, after realizing what was truly happening to him, kissed back- deeper and deeper till he was swamped by pure bliss. She reached a hand upwards to lay against his chest, while he had one resting on her back. The two stopped the lip lock, Samus resting on top of Pit. The two sighed heavily.

"I love you Samus." Pit whispered, stroking her hair.

"I love you too." she answered back.

* * *

Lucina looked up from her notebook, the pencil hesitant over the page she was sketching on. While waiting for her brother to come down stairs for breakfast, she decided to add some finishing touches to _Burning the Twins Soul_ , which she had as a two part package for his surprise present. His second half of the present... well as she said, it was a surprise. Sunlight streamed through the windows, a slight breeze blowing the pallid curtains gently into the living room. A snug cup of coffee sat to her right, a perfect setting to sit down and draw.

She was about to place the last touch, a torched head of her loving sibling, when the knock on the door came. Lucina's eyes snapped to the wooden piece, and if looks could kill, the person on the other side of the door would be dead right now. Give it till tonight, and her looks might be able to kill, now that she thought about it. Another knock interrupted her genius flow, and she huffed impatiently. Closing her notebook and resting it down next to her, she lightly tiptoed to the door.

"Oh, good morning Samus! Morning Pit!" she said jubilantly, as she had opened the door to see the aforementioned friends.

Samus smiled warmly. "Is Marth here?"

"Upstairs," Lucina said, pointing. "Why?"

"I wanted to talk to him about something." Pit explained, after seeing the female Lowell twin raise an eyebrow.

"Yeah... he should be upstairs in his bedroom. If he's sleeping, you are welcome to come and eat breakfast. Roy made some waffles before he left for work, they're on the counter."

"That's kind of you," Pit grinned, brushing past Lucina and jogging up the steps to the upper floor of the Lowell residence.

Lucina brought her attention back to Samus, who was standing idly in the entryway still, her foot rubbing against the stone sidewalk. "Do you want to come in?"

The other girl blinked. "Oh, yeah... sure."

The bluenette parted, shutting the door behind her as Samus walked inside. Lucina eyed the couch, praying she had closed the notebook on the right page. The two sat down, and she stuffed the notebook underneath the couch so Samus wouldn't notice. The two sat in silence for a moment, the blonde deciding to throw the ice breaker first.

"Seems like something is bothering you, Lucy. Is everything alright?"

Lucina nodded. "Yep, totally. Everything is fine," she lied. The two broke off again, tears welling in her eyes. Time for Plan A to take initiative. "No. I'm sorry. Nothing is going well. I'm lying to you."

"What do you mean?" Samus asked.

The Lowell let out a choked sob, clutching her arms to her chest. She made eye contact, hoping the act was working. "Last night... Ness came into my room and he attacked me." To prove a point, she pulled up the right sleeve of her shirt, to reveal a bruised and scarred section of her forearm. Samus could only stare at it, and stare it at it some more. Her eyes had to be deceiving her.

"And?"

"I cried out for help, naturally. Marth came bursting in for my defense, but I- I have never seen him so angry. Even from the time he saved me when Snake backhanded me at that party... that didn't even compare to this, it paled to it rather," Lucina whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Marth threatened to kill him, and the two wrestled upstairs for awhile. I tried to break it up, but it only ended in me getting a kick to the face that almost broke my nose."

"Afterwards, when the two stopped fighting?" Samus prodded on.

"Ness screamed terrible obscenities at him, then kissed my brother before vanishing. I- I don't know if Ness is going to show up at the party tonight... but I think that if he does, Marth will rip him to pieces, and I mean it." the bluenette rested her head against the other's chest.

"Everything will be alright."

"Marth has been acting so irrational nowadays, I feel like wrong move and he'll hit me or something," Lucina hiccupped. "He gets angry, so angry over the littlest things. I've seen him practicing his powers on off-times, just in case something else tries to attack us or something... and his power is glowing red. Not just any red Sam, but violent and brilliant shades of crimson, warped with black laces of sulfur. It looks like a concentration that a demon would wield. I- I can't even imagine-"

Samus shushed her, the girl breaking into sobs. "I assure you that's not the case Lucina, your brother-"

"You cannot say that! You don't know what's he capable of. _I_ don't even know what he's capable of, and I'm his sister," Lucina shrieked suddenly. She lessened her tone. "I was looking for a book of mine last night before going to bed, when I came across this," she said, reaching under the couch and pulling out her notebook. "Looking through it, I realized that it was Marth's. The pictures and drawings in here... th- they scare me."

Samus flipped through the book, seeing pictures of an animated Marth ripping people and objects apart telekinetically. Messages sprawled out in black marker added to the rage, words and phrases such as _Burning desire to kill_ and _The world will burn in my ashes, the fires caused by my hand_ being a few that highlighted Samus's concern. She looked up from the book. "This is unbelievable..."

Lucina shook her head. "That's not all. I was flipping through, and then I found this," The page flickered to _Burning the Twin's Soul_ , which instead of Marth's body she had originally drawn, she replaced it with her face and elongated the hair to resemble herself. "It's me. Marth drew me, and he's burning every inch of my body. I don't know what to make of it! I'm afraid he wants to harm me..."

"No, that's not-"

"Don't try and assure me about anything," Lucina said sharply. "You can't be certain if Marth is becoming some twisted evil or he's messing around... none of us can tell. Just promise me you'll be at the party tonight, you _and_ Pit."

Samus nodded. "Of course."

Lucina smiled. "Thanks," she whispered. Then, in her head, " _Oh Marth... you are royally fucked_."

* * *

Pit shut the door to Marth's bedroom, leaving the two alone in the private space. He was surprised to see the male in question up and busy, moving objects around the room with relative ease.

"Hey," Marth said, not bothering to look over and see who it was. The current floating piece of paper hanging above Pit's head dropped onto his arms. "I hope you realize that if you see me doing something like levitating objects... you wisely don't make any disturbances that'll cause me to lose concentration. What if that piece of paper was a pair of scissors?"

"You've got a point..." Pit laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I wanted to talk to you about something, actually."

"There was no intention of just stopping by to stop by? Why, that's hurtful," Pit made an expression, causing Marth to chuckle lightly. "I kid, seriously Ander, get better at the whole joke thing."

"Yeah, yeah whatever."

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

"Happy birthday?" Pit rolled his eyes.

Marth stuck out his tongue. "Thank you."

"Don't be so full of yourself Lowell, you'll be eighteen alongside Lucina in a couple of hours."

The bluenette flopped back onto his bed. "So, what did you want to talk me about?"

Pit walked up to the windowsill, drumming his fingers against the granite slit of stone. His mind went back to the conversation they had on the day of Zelda's funeral, one that made today's talk seem like a walk in the park... for now he had to flat out go against his best friend and tell him that he was probably losing his marbles. Yeah, not the easiest subject just to throw out. "Umm... Marth, how familiar are you with the Smashers?"

Marth furrowed his eyebrows. "You mean the group my parents belong to? Fair enough, I suppose. Why?"

"Samus and I were chatting last night, and came across some secrets about them..."

"Such as?"

"Do you believe in prophecies?"

"Prophecies? With weird omens and seer ladies... that old shit? No." Marth dissented.

"Well... we found out something about your family... and one of these prophecies."

"About my family? Are you sure? I remember hearing from my father about one that supposedly started World War I back in the early 1900's, but I found that to be farce."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure," Pit said. "What's going to happen tomorrow after the party between you and Lucina? You've hinted at it multiple times."

"Oh, that simple thing," Marth blinked. "Lucina and I have to duel with our powers to see who'd be the family heir to our abilities. Whomever wins can pass on their talents to their future generations and the same thing will happen again till our bloodline dies."

"I don't think, if this prophecy is true, that you'll ever get a chance to duel." Pit bit his lip.

"So, there's an already predetermined winner," Marth's eyes twinkled with happiness. "Lemme know right now! Is it me?"

"No! Not that we can give a straightforward answer, but someone's dying!" Pit screamed.

Marth got off of his bed, cornering Pit against the window. "What? Did I hear you correctly?"

"There's a prophecy about your family. One that is extremely dangerous and can result in a lot of people getting hurt," Pit rambled. "It's decreed that tonight, on the day you both turn eighteen, one of you will become much stronger than the other due to necessity... without even dueling to claim ownership of these powers you possess. Whoever this prophecy is talking about between you and your sister will have the strength to essentially kill us all with one flick of the wrist."

"That's asinine! If this is your form of a birthday surprise or birthday gift for me, count me out!" Marth yelled.

"Dude, I'm serious! I'm not lying to you," Pit defended himself. "Tell me, right now, how did your mother die? Why do you think that warlock killed her?"

The atmosphere of the room crashed down slowly, like icicle stalactites that hung onto the ceilings of icy caverns. Marth's jaw locked, and Pit realized he had stepped over one touchy line too many. Speaking of crazy prophecies might have been the last straw, but speaking of Peach Lowell may have been the breaking of said straw. The photographer cursed under his breath, seeing that a darker blue replaced Marth's cheery peacock glimmer.

"What does my mother's death have to do with anything," the youth magician hissed. "If you are using that, her losing of her life to support this... this _hypothesis_ joke you're playing on me, I suggest you shut up before I decided to crush your throat. Get out. Get out. You and I will discuss this at the party later."

Pit didn't need to be told twice, and he went running out of the room, and spiraled down the stairs. He had never seen Marth that angry in the nearly ten years or so that he knew him, not that he could remember. He eyed the girls, Lucina and Samus sitting on the couch, the former bent over crying. Pit raised an eyebrow, not wishing to pry, but instead opted for a clearing of the throat. Samus looked up from Lucina's side, and nodded. It was time to leave. The blonde said something discernible to the sobbing girl, and jogged out of the door to meet Pit.

Lucina looked up from her crying, waiting till the door was shut. She smiled wickedly. Everything was going to according to plan. Just one more step...

Outside, back by Samus's car, the duo stopped by their respective doors.

"What was going on with Lucina?" Pit asked.

Samus chewed the bottom of her lip. "Ness came in and attacked Lucina. Marth threatened to kill him, the two battled like never before. Lucina feels that Marth will kill Ness at the party if he shows up or something. I, I can't put my thoughts together. He also has some notebook, full of drawings that resemble death and other terrible monstrosities. You?"

"I crossed over a point of no return by mentioning his mother," the photographer admitted. "I thought I could've linked two and two together with the prophecy. He didn't want to hear any of it."

"Look, I promised Lucina we'd be at the party. We need to go get ready. I have a feeling that it's Marth this warning is speaking of." She unlocked the door to get in the driver's seat when Pit stopped her.

"Sam... what do you think will happen tonight? I'm genuinely scared."

"I don't know. I honestly don't. We just need to ensure that no one other than the intended is going to die tonight. We're running out of time. Let's go." Samus ordered. The two got in the car, and drove away.

Whatever was going to happen at the party... the two didn't know what to think. For the record, it was going to be out of their hands anyways.

* * *

"Wow... Dad really went all out, didn't he?" Marth said with awe, looking at his sister with true surprise.

Lucina was impressed, she had to give her old man that. "Yeah... he rented out the whole pier. Lord knows where he got that money. Perhaps he sold drugs..."

"Yeah, maybe so," the male twin chuckled. "Well, come on. We have an eighteenth party to attend, don't we?"

"Indeed we do brother, indeed we do."

The luminous moon shone in the sky with the strength of a radioactive isotope, to match the glowing cardinal and emerald streams of light bouncing back and forth from strobes strapped to the grass and boardwalk. An old, abandoned shack by the beach, roughly around the size of the courthouse boomed monstrously with subwoofers and music screaming to its heart content. The Lowell twins both settled on wearing the same exact color scheme to make their entrance much more gratifying than before, the gravity needed to be there. Marth wore a simple black dress shirt, opting for a duller, yet lighter navy pair of pants since blue needed to be somewhere on his body. Lucina had an onyx leather jacket slung over her shoulders, actually borrowed from Ness though she told no one about it. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, so her face and eyes could be clearer.

Marth smiled, high-fiving fellow friends and hugging long time companions that he missed in forever. Lucina just nodded, smiling weakly. She glanced up to see that the night was pitch black, darker than what had been given on any other day. A banner was streamed up across the top of the main building for the party, written in acrylic silver spray paint, _Happy Birthday Marth and Lucina Lowell._ Purple rage flooded the base of Lucina's neck. " _Why is it always about, and never me? Thank goodness that's going to change._ "

The two broke from each other, Lucina blending into the shadows to formulate more details. Marth kept on greeting others, disregarding some, and accepting the rest. He paused, sensing something was erroneous behind him. Marth turned, frowning in disgust as Ness Mortmain emerged into view. The demon cleaned up well, a nice clean cut of jaded midnight hair with a black button down. All the main partiers seemed to be wearing black. Must've been a memo he missed.

"You clean up nice." Marth smiled warmly, trying to hold off his true feelings of contempt and disgust.

"Cannot say the same for you, sorry." Ness frowned.

Marth sneered. "Thanks for being here, but can you please just go..." He tried walking away, but Ness stopped him by the shoulder.

"Don't go," Ness instructed. "There's so much more for you to witness."

The bluenette eyed the demon strangely. "Sure?"

"NOW!" Pit's voice yelled out from an unseen location.

Suddenly, a sharp, agonizing pain rippled through Marth's hand, and he growled. Stumbling down to one knee, he stared dazedly at the dart in his hand. A loud rush of screaming radiated from the building as the other partygoers fled out into the night. Whatever was happening, no one wanted to be a part of it. After the chaos died down, it only left himself, Lucina, Ness, Pit, and whomever fired the dart into his hand.

Marth stood, wrenching out the stinging projectile, flinging it to the floor. Squinting, he saw Samus running at him, the same katana she used weeks earlier in her hand. "What the hell?" he whispered. Then he yelped, sidestepping as an arc of silver came crashing down on him. Rolling out of the way, he saw Samus indeed holding the old sword in her hand, the blade where his chest would've been.

"Wait... what?" Lucina shrieked.

"What are you trying to do? You trying to kill me?" Marth gasped, dodging a new swing from Samus.

"The prophecy is talking about you! Don't deny it." she yelled.

"That stupid prophecy crap you're talking about? Don't tell me Pit got you hung up on that as well." Another duck from another swipe.

"Lucina said you tried to kill Ness. That he attacked her last night, and then you threatened to murder him!" Samus yelled.

Marth frowned. "No... no that's not true. I- no. Ness never came into our house. I was having a nightmare."

"She showed us your notebook. Burning the Twin's Soul? What kind of freaky crap is that?"

"I don't have a notebook! That's Lucina's. I swear to you. I have no idea what you're talking about."

Samus paused. "But...?" She and Pit looked at Lucina, who was just standing there fuming."

Lucina threw her hands in the air, letting out an exasperated shriek. "COME ON! Marth, she attacks you with a sword and you still don't fight back? What's wrong with you? Fine... I'll do it myself." Throwing her hands outward, the sword ripped from Samus's hands, meanwhile a force knocked the former owner of the weapon to the ground. Pit rushed to her side, while Lucina grinned manically at the katana.

"Lucy... what?"

The female Lowell twin smiled evilly. "Surprise?"

Pit clasped his hands together. "Yep, it's official. Everybody's got super powers but me."

"I don't understand Lucy... they've been strong the whole time?" Marth shook his head.

"Of course I have," Lucina smirked. "I mean, come on? Who do you think summoned those demons? Ness? Please, he has the power of a sewer rat."

Ness frowned. "Hey..."

She ignored him, swinging the katana around in a full circle. "I've been waiting for you to figure it out... and waiting, waiting... I've been waiting, and waiting. But... you never did. None of you did! It was always about Marth Lowell, never his sister. NEVER!"

"This isn't-" Marth started.

"We're the same Marth. Always have been. Except... while you've been harnessing your powers and trying to keep them less concentrated to not attract the eye of the public... I've been letting them become more than they could ever be," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "None of this was an accident..."

"So, the car crash-"

"Ness caused it," Lucina said simply. "But, he did it the wrong way. He was supposed to crash the car, just so I could test your powers. It wasn't supposed to lead onto Samus being possessed, Zelda getting killed, and all of us having unwarranted attention!"

Ness shrugged. "It was a car _crash_. What did you expect to happen?"

"I had you by my side so you could do the job you're summoned for!"

"You think I'm one of them, don't you? Heh, another thing coming, Lucina."

"Besides the point, dear Marthy, I am a whole lot stronger." Lucina said.

Marth balled his fists. Something was going to go down. That enough was evident. "Lucina, you are working with powers you don't understand."

Ness stood by Lucina's side. "You know... we don't need him anymore."

She took a moment to think about. "No, that's rather the opposite," she snarled, pushing him away. "I don't need you." Lifting her hand, she willed to explode his mind, the demon was expendable.

Ness eyed her. "You can't do that."

"Damn right I can't," Lucina's hand dropped to her waist. "It's like I ever needed magic to control you."

"That's sickening!" Pit yelped.

Marth's gaze followed her. "No..."

"Come on Marth. Let's do it together. With us combining our power, no one, not even the entire Smasher community could stand a chance against us. All you have to do is be mine." Lucina argued.

Ness slyly grinned. "Don't be so sure about that," he snarked. Shoving Lucina in the gut, she went flying back by a telekinetic power surged with fluorescent light. "Didn't expect it, huh?"

Marth blinked, his head was starting to hurt. "I still..."

Ness strode up to Samus and Pit who were standing in dumbfounded shock. "Things have changed. We need to go, leave now. I must get to your house, Samus." The trio ran off, not needing another urging cry to do it for them.

Lucina shook off the cardboard boxes she had been flung into. "Asshole!" she yelled out after the traitor.

Marth walked up slowly. "Just you and me Lucina! That's how you wanted it, right?"

She laughed, although it seemed moreso of a bitter snarl. "You think you can fight me?"

"I think we're about to find out." he said boldly.

The two in solid stance with each other, before screaming various commands. A surge of blinding anemic light flooded the room, before being drowned out in a sea of black.

* * *

Pit jumped in the shotgun of Ness's Jeep. "Dude, can you explain what the hell is going on?"

Ness revved the engine. "How can I explain it to you?"

"First off letting us know who you are!" Samus screeched.

"Yeah," Pit backed her up. "One minute you try killing us, the next you are on our side, then Lucina's... and all of this crazy crap! Who and what are you?"

"I am Ness Mortmain," the demon traitor in the drivers seat said. "I am a Smasher, and I'm also a demon."

"How... you're both?" the only blonde in the car asked, blinking.

"So, if I am to get this straight, you work for both sides then?" Pit questioned.

"I wouldn't necessarily consider it working... I guess it'd be easier to put it as my mother was a Smasher, and my father was a demon. The two fell in love, and BAM, out come me," Ness explained. "The Smashers banned my parents for the crossbreeding, which is strictly prohibited by both parties, but didn't have the cold heart to exile me. Very few people in both realms knew me as both, to the majority of the demons I've come in contact with, think I'm only a demon while all of the Smashers know who I am."

"Okay, so how do we piece this together with Lucina seeming to go crazy and that strange prophecy?" the two non Ness speakers in the car blurted out at the same time.

"Ganondorf, the warlock who gave Marth and Lucina their powers, used to a Smasher like them, like their parents, like your parents," he indicated towards Samus, who blanched. "However, the demon side of magic, dark arts and provincial skills of the side of shadow ate away at Ganondorf's mind. After practicing the art for nearly twenty years, he rebelled against the Smashers to destroy them all. Peach was sent to deal with him, as she was only one alive who could contest his power. He killed her, but killing the strongest Smasher in existence at that time wasn't going to go unnoticed. He fled into the demon realm, which cannot be entered by a certain accord for it'd shatter laws of old. There Ganondorf waited, and he waited some more. He'd try to convince people and follow him to the cause of destroying the Smashers. That's how he snagged Lucina."

"A warlock of evil powers brainwashed her?" Pit asked in stupefaction.

"Essentially, yeah," Ness admitted. "He drove words of crazed madness into her brain, made her think that overthrowing the Smashers would be the best way for her to live, when it'd be the worst. The leader of the Smashers, by the name of Lyn, had a disturbance that one of their own weren't being exactly truthful to their cause, and it turned out it was one of the Lowell's. We kept it a secret from everyone that it was Lucina, knowing that it'd come to now for the chess pieces to be played correctly."

"Okay... Go on." Samus prompted.

"For almost half a year now, Ganondorf has been feeding Lucina lies and deceitful truths about the Smashers, and it has been placed in her mind to overthrow them. She doesn't have the right frame of mind."

"But why Lucina?" the photographer of the car questioned.

"Because she's a descendant of Peach and Roy Lowell, two of the strongest Smashers in history. Normally, genetic power is passed down through the generations, making Marth and Lucina a grade above the rest. Knowing Marth, Ganondorf would've gone nowhere with him, but since Lucina was struggling the whole time with her gifts, she became easy prey. My mission was to befriend Lucina, but it spawned into more than that."

"You love her, don't you?" Samus and Pit looked each other.

Ness sighed. "As a matter of fact, I do. But... only when she isn't concerning herself with Ganondorf's agenda. It's a whole different person. I had to become her most trustworthy partner, and she wanted to see if we could coax Marth. We knew the prophecy was real, but we didn't know which twin it belonged to. Now, coupled alongside Ganondorf's strength and dominance over her mind, Lucina is the clear cut winner of this prophecy."

"But, why would Ganondorf try and return if he failed before? It sounds like he had barely beaten Peach in their duel." Samus asked.

"That part is true. Ganondorf used to have a wife, an ancient demon, but her name has been forgotten for a long time. He had been practicing a spell to resurrect her from the dead, her power as a demon goddess combined with his own would become an unbreakable bond, a power that no one, not even all the Smashers combined could struggle against. The Smashers, myself included or so thankful."

"Why thankful? Your imminent death doesn't sound too pleasant." Pit shuddered.

"Ganondorf failed his spell. He resurrected the wrong person from the dead. He doesn't have the patience to wait another hundred years or so to try it all over again. So, he's rallying all the demons up to his cause and will wage war soon on the world. We, have to prep things to make sure our death isn't so painful."

"That's just wonderful." Samus replied sarcastically.

"I know, right?" Ness responded with a cheeky grin.

Pit made a rewind motion with his hands. "Hold up, hold up. You said Ganondorf resurrected the wrong person. What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I mean," the Smasher/demon huffed. "Ganondorf did the spell wrong, and he had someone he did not intend rise from the dead."

"Well, then who was it?" Samus prodded.

Ness's face went ashen. "That's the problem. We don't know."

* * *

Ness parked the Jeep, Samus's house cold and dark. The trio got out of the vehicle, causing Pit to sniff the air. "It... it smells like sulfur. Am I the only one?"

Samus took a whiff. "No, you're right. Ness, what does that signify?"

The guy could only shrug. "I don't know. Demons, when they are close, have the presence of carbonated fire in the sky. This... I can't place what this is."

"Perhaps it's the strange arrival." Pit shuddered.

Samus frowned. "Well, I certainly hope not."

Ness went to unlock the front door. "You have a basement?"

"I- I haven't been down in the basement for years. We have one, but lord knows what may be inside."

"That doesn't matter to me, I need something from it. If you're parents had one while they were still alive, what I need is still in your home." Ness said.

"What are you hinting at?" Pit scratched his arm.

"It's a weapon, but the name fleets me," Ness explained. "You can try and kill demons with your fists, magic, or even day-to-day weapons of the humans, but it'd be a much tiresome chore. The weapon I'm talking about is a bow, made up of arrows that form in clouds of light. Awesome stuff, I'm telling you."

Samus's hand linked around the door, and she pushed it open only for it fall of its hinges. She shrieked, as a cloud of black vapor rushed outside her front door. A blinking halcyon light erupted from Ness's hands, causing the shadow to dissipate. Pit rested a hand against her shoulder, helping her stand straight. "What was that?" he breathed.

Ness extinguished the light. "A demon scout, something that'd kill whoever came back. Someone has been here... and if I'm correct... I know exactly who."

The other two let him lead first, looking behind them warily to check if any other presence was around. Ness held a hand up once they were inside the living room, pointing mainly at the burn marks in the floor. He closed his eyes, a pulsating cerulean wave dripping from the ceiling, and swamping throughout the house. When he opened his eyes, the liquid was gone. Samus stared at him.

"What did you do?"

"Put out any fires that may be in the house." Ness said.

Pit pointed behind them. "Guys, look over the door. There may be something you want to see."

The two changed their attention from the scorched carpet to the wall above the door. "Holy... well shit, that's going to cost some money." Samus breathed.

According to the need of the house requiring money, it was for the blood dripping message plastered across the top hinge. Written in human blood, for the stench was foul beyond belief, was _The Order of Light Shall Fall. He has awoken, she has been cast out. Watch over your shoulders, Smashers. The second sun of dawn will come riding it's black horse. Signed, the Angel of Darkness_.

Ness cussed. "Shit. He's back."

"Who's back? Ganondorf?" Samus asked.

Ness didn't bother answering her, instead running to the other side of the house. "No, not necessarily him, but someone of the same caliber."

Pit and Samus locked eyes, running after him. After searching for two minutes, they found him the basement. "How'd he-" Pit started, but a howl that tore from Ness's lips cut him off.

"No!" he screamed. "Someone took it."

"Someone took what?" Samus demanded, whirling to face him.

Ness's face was grim. "Someone took the bow. And I have a damn good feeling who it is. It means she's returned."

"Who?" Pit stomped his foot, sick of the games.

"Mother." was all Ness replied, before a low screeching sound tore through the house, the roof exploding in a rain of fireballs.

* * *

Marth yelled as his body went flying back from Lucina's outstretched grasp, the wind being knocked out of him as his back struck solid rock. Lucina let out a vicious giggle, having too much fun with the whole thing.

"Having fun yet?" she mocked.

"Not enough fun!" he shouted back, calming his mind and warping a ball of aroma at her. Sickish and sweet smells of rose petals doused in iodine washed over the female Lowell twin and she coughed, falling to one knee.

"Ouch!" she hissed, staring at her arm as the bracelet around her left wrist illuminated a depressing grey, before busting into a cardinal fire. Lucina yelped, waiting for the coursing pain to flash in her veins, but the sense was warm, as if family was near. " _Mother_..."

Marth cracked a knuckle. "Getting tired yet, Lucy?"

"No, of course not. I'm just getting started," she smirked. "Besides, you're acting incredibly weak right now. When did you decide to become soft? What happened to that anger on the night of the party when the car crashed?"

"That was towards a totally different person. I don't want to hurt you."

"That's too bad," Lucina smiled. "Because I genuinely wish to break everything inside that body of yours!" Lifting her hands up, she levitated Marth off the ground, the air releasing from his lungs in one gasp. Twisting her hands here and there, she could hear the satisfying pops, the chilling glee as a single spherical glob of blood went splashing to the floor. She dropped him with a satisfying crunch to her effort.

"Shit..." he cursed, groaning as he sat up.

Lucina strode forward. "You never had the ability to become powerful, you never even fathomed such a thing. Poor little Marth Lowell, an idiot of his own demise. Just like how couldn't save poor Zelda..."

Marth blinked, and growled, wanting to leap at her with the force of a baboon, when something walked into his vision... and his heart clamped up in his throat. _Zelda_. There she was, radiant and bright as the dawn, yet deadlier than the coldest night. Her auburn hair, her fancied smile now contorted into a rancid scowl... and the eyes normally full of compassion was replaced by bitterness.

"I've missed you Marth," she hissed.

"You're not real..." he whispered, trying to close his eyes and block it all out. It wouldn't go away, he couldn't get it out of his mind.

"You are so pathetically weak Lowell," Zelda continued, crawling towards him with a glazed over expression. "You weren't powerful enough to save me from the car crash, to save me from an inevitable death by the hands of Samus. Why didn't you save me? WHY?!"

"She's not real..." Marth repeated, and he blinked once, the image of Zelda dissipating, leaving only a smug Lucina to stand in his deceased girlfriend's place. "You are doing this," he yelled. Lucina stepped back, as Marth's eyes changed from the bluish diamond to solid midnight, cold and emotionless as death. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"

He stood up and with the force of a piston, thrust his arms out to grab Lucina's throat, but instead of choking her, caused the girl to fly back into the other side of the wall.

"Isn't this fun? Are you _having_ fun, Marth?" Lucina growled. The female twin cussed again as this time, the bracelet glowed with the power of heaven's gates, a stabbing and burning fire coursing through our body. She screamed in anger, the feeling was... unbearable.

"I am indeed having a wonderful time." Marth confirmed, his voice solid and without emotion. Outstretching his hand once more, Lucina began to feel the concrete slip from her toes, as her hand, by the bracelet was being pulled into the air. She kicked, she trashed, she screamed, cussed, everything you could think of in the book came out of her mouth.

"Marth! Let go of me! LET ME GO!"

"I want you to feel how I felt! I want you to experience my pain! You will not get the better of me Lucina!" he screamed. "I will-"

He never got to finish his statement, as the closed doors to the warehouse burst open in a blast of fire. Marth dropped Lucina, the two twirling around to see who dared interrupt the tense moment. A single woman fell into the room, the lady made one step in and then collapsed. A ragtag rosy dress clung to the woman's body, a wave of sunbeam hair atop her head, half open and half closed diamond eyes peeking out from a pallid complexion. In her hands was a bow, one that needed light arrows to be usable.

The two Lowell twins looked at each other before saying in complete shock and utter confusion, "Mom?"

* * *

 **End of Part VI**

* * *

 _Lucina grinned to the rest of the Storyteller crew. "And that's where we leave it off then?"_

 _Pit let the hand drop from his mouth. "Holy mother of everything sweet in the world... that was awesome!"_

 _Marth clapped. "Well, Lucy, I see you know how to give a dynamic performance. It's settled then?"_

 _Samus nodded. "We have to come back and finish this story next year."_

 _"With more people," Ness added. "This Ganondorf character needs someone, and the illustrious mother."_

 _"She has a name," Lucina corrected. "Peach. So we have to ensure that Peach gets here next time."_

 _Zelda rubbed her neck. "I guess I don't need to be here next year, right? Given that I killed my character and all..."_

 _"Nice one," Pit chortled. "I'll remember that for years to come."_

 _Marth stood, hugging Lucina and Samus, fist bumped Ness and Pit, and patted Zelda on the shoulder. "Until next time I suppose."_

 _The group dispersed, light chat between Ness and Lucina echoing off the trees, Pit practically 'flying' into the trees, and all of things, Zelda and Samus talking without ripping each others heads off for at least a few seconds. Marth kept still, and stared at the fire, thinking of what transpired. As he went to go, his eyes caught on something that glinted off the flames of the fire. Kneeling down, he scooped up the object between the mulch._

 _It was a bracelet, the bracelet. Colored amaranthine, with the rosy pink swirls... it was the bracelet described by Lucina. Marth rubbed his fingers over the coarse gemstone, a frown plastered on his face. It wasn't his, and no one else had it on their wrist all night. If it wasn't any of theirs then..._

 _Then whose was it...?_

* * *

 _Storytellers Part II: Creationists_

 _July of 2016_

* * *

 **OHMIGOD, I finished! Like you have no idea how ridiculously tired my fingers feel after typing this, for now I have written the longest chapter in my arsenal which makes me super proud. I may never reach this length again, but now be peeled with ye eyes for Creationists coming out this July, featuring the cast of Marth, Lucina, Pit, Samus, Ness, Lyn, Peach, Roy, Kuro, and Ganondorf- that shall be our ten character cast, one chapter dedicated to each character in the same manner. Thank you all for making this my favorite story of the summer to type, as few do this per season. All the conspiracy theories just floored into the roof, and it was good, because who owns this mysterious bracelet? If you will, in a review if you leave one, which storyteller chapter did you love the most, especially when it comes to the titles of them (A Party Never Killed Anybody... Did They?, Green Eyed Devil, Believe Whatever You Wish to Believe, One Liar, Two Magicians, Three Backstabbers, Black Wings Stained by Black Blood, or The Lowell Twins. Let me know! Thanks for such an amazing time, I love you all! I'll see you whenever my next Smash story comes out, and don't worry, there'll be a time before July that I'll do one. You know me. Alrighty guys, love you! Thanks again! Bye!**

 **~ Paradigm**


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